


















,0^ \s. **Tvr* • a 




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I 



I 



THE 

FAITH OF ISRAEL, 

SELECTED FROM THE WRITINGS OF THE MOST 

EMINENT DIVINE PHILOSOPHERS 
AND COMMENTATORS. 






BY RABBI TOBIAS GOODMAN, 

PUBLIC LECTURER TO THE CONGREGATION OF ISRAEL, AND TRANSLATOR OF THE 

CELEBRATED PHILOSOPHICAL WORK OTiy P3*m " INVESTIGATION OF 

CAUSES/* &C. &C. 



This work is designed to rescue the sacred words of God from 
the attacks of the enemies of Holy Scripture end Revelation ; and, 
without interfering with any other religious doctrine, to shew the 
true seDse of the divine Law. 



LONDON. 



PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, AND SOLD BY HIM, 8, RIX'S COURT. 
CHURCH LANE. COMMERCIAL ROAD; AND DANIEL, BOOK- 
SELLER, 2, KING STREET. COVENT GARDEN. 

1834. 



^° 



J5-> 





SffOt 




ERRATA. 


age 7, 


line 4, for KVttn read n^om. 


— 61, 


— 6&8, — fire read cloud. 


— 90, 


— 25, — Jesias read Isaiah. 


— 136, 


— 6, — TMtpi mura* read n*,-3 rmax. 


— 177, 


— 16, — permitted read not permitted 


— 207. 


— : 13, dele he is before he has been. 



JOHN WERTHEIMER, PIUNTER, 
LEMAN STREET, GOODMAN'S FIELDS. 



TO 

MOSES MONTEFIORE, ESQ. 

-nnrn ann inp • *ivb mas mpis * n^vnsb jna itQ 

"He hath dispensed charity to the needy; his righteousness 
endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour." 



Sir, 

Having been enabled by your benevolent 
assistance and that of your excellent and amiable 
lady, to complete the publication of this work, which 
is designed to elucidate and render clear the Faith of 
Israel, and to furnish that instruction in the principles 
of our religion which our brethren so much require, 
I beg leave to dedicate my work to you ; and in doing 
so, I take the liberty of thus publicly recording my 
obligation to your goodness, and expressing my heart- 
felt gratitude for the liberality and kindness you have 
shewn to me : — and. at the same time, I cannot but 
indulge the hope, that other wealthy individuals may, 
by your noble example, be induced to follow your 
steps. With sentiments of highest respect, I sub- 
scribe myself, 

Sir, 
Your very humble and obedient Servant, 

TOBIAS GOODMAN. 

February, 1834. 



PREFACE. 



: wjHEn \vyi rAro nw» nnte nc? he 1 ? 



IT is evident that the temporal prosperity of man and 
his eternal salvation depend on the knowledge of 
sacred truth and in the practice of virtue; and, 
in accordance with this truth, the present work, 
called h$lW JWDK The Faith of Israel, is also di 
vided into two parts, ntPJ/Dm jnDPI — 1. The Know- 
ledge; and — 2. The Practice of the Divine Law. 
The first part contains theological discourses, and will 
treat of the essence and theory of the Sacred Law, de- 
nominated nm "HDK Biblical Dissertations; and the 
second part called D^H "pi The Way of Eternal Life 

1 win new rwynn nNi * m w^ iw -pin nx mnni> 



11 PREFACE. 

treats on the practical part of the precepts contained 
in this peculiar law. 

The Royal Psalmist, when meditating on the law 
of God, finding the unlimited extent of the sublime 
sense of the words of God, exclaimed — 

" I have seen an end of all perfection, but thy com- 
mandment is exceeding broad." (Ps. cxix. 96.) 

Volumes would be required to explain and to 
elucidate even one precept, in order to shew the 
motive, design, virtue, and all the particular branches 
of that precept; consequently the knowledge and 
instruction contained in the following pages must only 
be considered by our readers, p¥*W) DT7 ]D HSED 

m wtt n*opjty naTTpn irrmno as a drop of the 

great ocean of wisdom, and a spark of our sacred 
" Fiery Law." (Deut xxxiii. 2.) 

By the learned and most eminently distinguished 
divine philosopher Rabbi Moses Maimonides, in his 
celebrated work D^2"Q3 mi£ Moreh Nebuchim, we 
are furnished with an excellent reason why our divine 
law is figuratively compared to water ; observing, as 
in the sea, pearls and treasures are to be found, but 
cannot be obtained without diving, which, to prevent 
danger, requires caution and ability ; so will our sin- 
cere and diligent researches in the law of God, be re- 
paidwith valuable information, and spiritual gratifica- 
tion : but that we may not, in attempting to penetrate 
the mysteries of knowledge, be lost in a boundless 



PREFACE. Ill 

sea of conjecture and confusion, we are provided with 
solid and immutable principles, with rules and maxims 
that constitute the basis of our faith, and which will 
conduct us safely to the summit of wisdom and 
knowledge. 

The author conceives it to be his duty to exhort 
and call upon those Israelites, who unfortunately are 
deficient in the knowledge of the Divine Law, and 
consequently are unacquainted with the essentials of 
that law and the basis of their faith, to read this 
work, htinur* nnDtf The Faith of Israel, attentively, 
to meditate on it duly, and repeat every page and 
passage until a perfect comprehension, and an intimate 
acquaintance with it be attained : thus, by devoting 
daily an hour to that holy purpose, with pious inten- 
tion, purity of mind, and sincerity of heart, they 
will be animated and assisted by Divine Providence, 
will ultimately discover valuable information, and 
will progressively advance in the knowledge of the 
Sacred Law. m 

The truth of the above exhortation is conspicuously 
corroborated by the following instruction of the 
Royal Moralist — 

rus-p ran ?k • mtpann iwwdedddi *jdm nwpin D*r 
nyi vaiD * HDsn \rv "n *a • wnn ovitot njm 4// n 

" : rwani 

" If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her 
as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the 
fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For 



IV PREFACE. 

the Lord giveth wisdom ; out of his mouth come 
knowledge and understanding." (Prov. ii. 4. 5. 6.) 

The following pages are offered in the spirit of 
liberality to the notice of a generous and enlightened 
public. They contain nothing that may offend or 
interfere with any religious doctrine; the object is, 
to show the true and genuine sense of the Law of 
God ; to rescue his sacred words from the attacks of 
the common enemies of Holy Scripture, and Revela- 
tion ; and to delight and elevate the souls of the lovers 
of truth. 

It was the supreme will of the Omnipotent God to 
choose Israel for his peculiar people ; to be instru- 
mental to his design of establishing the name of God 
throughout the world; and to diffuse the light of 
truth and morality to all nations : as recorded— 

" • yixn hi ^ ^ * tfopn hiD nhno ^ on^m " 

" Ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all 
people ; for the whole earth is mine." (Exod. xix. 
5.) The spirit of this verse is manifest : namely, 'All 
the nations of the earth are *ny treasures ; I desire 
their preservation ; their present and future prospe- 
rity; and through you, my peculiar treasure, it shall 
be accomplished.' 

Israel being elected his peculiar people, he gave 
them, therefore, a peculiar law. To establish that 
law firmly and for ever, God himself, condescended 
to communicate the ten commandments to his 
people, so that all miracles that might hereafter be 



PREFACE. V 

produced should be insufficient to seduce them from 
their faith, or to accept any other law, unless they hear 
again the voice of God ; which may be to strengthen, 
but not to change what he had once decreed, according 
to his own declaration — 

" For I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons 
of Jacob are not consumed." (Mai. hi. 6.) For, as 
his existence is eternal, so is his choice eternal ; and 
the Law delivered to us through his faithful servant 
Moses is therefore entitled to our eternal belief: 
which excellent truth is plainly confirmed by the 
words of God — 

* pjn run yhx xi ^wmn • rwa h& "n inw 

" And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold I come un- 
to thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear 
when I speak unto thee, and in thee also they will 
believe forever." (Ex. xix. 9.) Thus we are the sons of 
the everlasting covenant. We have entered into it 
by taking updii us alternately its blessings and curses ; 
and it is therefore at our peril to deviate from it. 

The sons of Noah (an appellation including all na- 
tions) have been also provided, by the infinite wisdom 
of the omniscient God, with JDUfiD V2W Seven Pre- 
cepts ; which, upon investigation, will be found to be 
seven grand rules, comprising a great portion of the 
m¥E J^H Six Hundred and Thirteen Precepts of our 
peculiar Law, sufficient for their social and political 



VI PREFACE. 

organization, temporal prosperity, and blissful state 
in futurity. 

The children of Israel have learned lessons of char- 
ity in the school of adversity : and they are likewise 
commanded by the Lord their God — 

" : dtoq pK3 brwi uni ^r-un n» Dranar 

" Love ye therefore the stranger or sojourner, for ye 
were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Deut. x. 19.) 

The Hebrew word ")^ gdir, stranger or sojourner, 
is applicable to a p"T¥ ")J proselyte of the covenant, 
and also to a UfoMn 11 proselyte of the gate. 

The latter, by adhering to the seven precepts, being 
free from idolatry, was allowed to sojourn in the Holy 
Land : but the idolater, who is called i"D3 nachri, 
was, according to Law, not permitted to reside there- 
in; which will hereafter be amply discussed and 
established. 

We must, therefore, consider all mankind as one 
great family, supported and protected by Divine 
Providence. Animosity and resentment should not 
be harboured against any one for difference in reli- 
gious sentiments ; but love and friendship should 
prevail amongst men as long as their religion is found- 
ed on the fear of God and the love of their fellow- 
creatures : and then let us wait for the day when the 
following prophecy will be realized and established. 

D^n dVd $i?h * mi-D n£w n^nv hx Tiarm m o- 
". i ins d:d^ raj^i r? 

u For then will I turn to the people a pure language, 



PREFACE. Vll 

that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to 
serve him with one consent." (Zeph. iii. 9.) 

The original work was written in Hebrew, and it 
was intended to have been printed accompanied with 
an English translation ; but at the suggestion of seve- 
ral literary friends it was deferred for the present, in 
order to lessen expence, and place the work within 
the reach of the public in general : yet as no lan- 
guage can equal the Hebrew in comprehensiveness 
and energetic expression, all Scriptural quotations 
and Talmudical records are therefore given in 
Hebrew. 

A theological and philosophical discourse on the 
sacred axiom ""nnKTHCTn^l" "The fear of 
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," is prefixed as 
an introduction to the work, accompanied with a 
treatise on the Creation ; of which, in order not to di- 
minish its intrinsic worth, the full original Hebrew is 
given with the English. 

To commend, or speak in praise of, the present 
work, would be superfluous : the name, " The Faith 
of Israel," is sufficient to entitle it to high respect 
and consideration. Yet the author thinks proper to 
state, that the work has been carefully selected from 
the best writings of oar divine philosophers and com- 
mentators : and he hopes therefore that his endeavours 
to render it beneficial to the public in general will 
not be in vain ; every passage being well illustrated — 



Vlll PREFACE. 

every difficulty removed — the most rare and sublime 
doctrine fully digested — and the whole thus reduced 
within the comprehension of every capacity. 

The nature of the work requires at times the 
repeating or recapitulating of subjects, in order to 
avoid ambiguity ; and the judicious reader will admit, 
that beauty should be disregarded when truth may be 
injured. 



INTRODUCTION. 



This gate is unto the glory of the Lord consecrated, 
Enter ye righteous to become in his fear completed. 



: nnan *\sfr&m /7 n -p-Q m sia ; 3in 



n^nsn rpnm • rrovDm • D^nn ■ D*ont nttfbrab ran 



nmn # 7»3sA Tan nMnn f mn d^wj "*p^nnrD" 
Tnn rw^ ram * p-re ^»pa ima 
j na i^n -ipk -ityvr 

* tyMHD tpjn -nan • inra njj wit f a « -p^ifco " 
TiBjm -wn ti? * noa^ paw -p^a ^ * D*nn iraa 



N-TUODIJCTION 



ma mo ^riw Vrfartf * Tun p^hm 

Preceptor.— Come my son, thou blessed of the 
Lord, and I will teach thee wisdom. " When thou 
goest it shall lead thee ; when thou sleepest it shall 
keep thee ; and when thou awakest it shall talk for 
thee." (Prov. vi. 22.) This verse represents, figur- 
atively, life, death, and resurrection. 

EXPLANATION. 

" When thou goest, it shall lead thee." In travelling 
through the difficult road of life, bewildered in dark- 
ness and surrounded with temptations, Wisdom shall 
diffuse her light before thee, lead thee in the path of 
rectitude, and prepare for thee the righteous way, 
wherein thou shalt proceed. 

" When thou sleepest it shall keep thee." At the 
time of thy dissolution, when the soul is parted from 
the body, it shall keep thee : thy soul shall be bound 
in the bundle of life, thy flesh shall also rest safely, 
until thou shalt rise up at the time of the resurrection. 

" And when thou awakest, it shall talk for thee." 
In the great and awful day of judgment, Wisdom 
shall plead for thee, to cause thee to inherit the 
abundance of that goodness which is stored up 
for them who fear the Lord and revere his name, 
which no eye ever beheld, O God ! besides Thee. 



INTRODUCTION. 



^ * ■ottk m * imo» TQB^ W Dpn 
j vnn tidh Kb mwljm * ^nan raw 

Disciple. — Reverend and benevolent preceptor, if I 
have found grace in your sight, let your kind offer, I 
beseech you, be realized without delay; your sub- 
missive servant is very solicitous to receive, with 
profound attention, your sacred lessons, and with 
thirstiness to imbibe your inestimable instructions of 
wisdom. In my childhood Wisdom shall lay the 
basis of my future pious and virtuous life; temper 
and calm the ardent propensities and violent passions 
of my vigorous and blooming youth ; lead, support, 
and comfort my heart in my old and decrepit age ; 
and, to the last moment of my life, Wisdom shall 
abide with me and not depart. 

nn^n ♦ " rra sm Tipi * nDin wn »n nkr \n " 2TT 

nam nhvn * onanoi D^n naDi * £>npn ^m 73 
* narra on»i»i d^w d^di * D^Wnjq on "n 
in^T p>w H>m • nrp 4 — 73m nosh rw*n kvtp 
•riD^pnD^ T\fynn i 1 ? a^n ^ * n©Ti.p m^ni> 

Preceptor. — " Behold the fear of the Lord, this is 
wisdom; and to depart from evil, this is understanding." 
(Job xxviii. 28.) True prosperity cannot be obtained 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

without that exalted fear, whose paths are direct to 
bliss and eternal salvation. 

All the sacred writers and the learned and wise 
are of one opinion respecting the following axiom: 
— The fear of the Lord is indispensably the 
beginning of all knowledge and wisdom ; and, conse- 
quently, that whatever knowledge or wisdom is not 
preceded by that fear, nor directed to the same end 
and purpose, will never reach any state of perfection, 
nor compensate or gratify its possessor with the ex- 
pected success, nor procure him any real advantage. 

Wi • rmna ama ♦ rwTn nhvn •— ma 31H 
♦ prpnrba urbwrn . b tfaan 

Preceptor. — The pre-eminence of the fear of the 
Eternal is recorded in our Sacred Law, repeated in 
the prophets, and stated by the inspired writers in 
Hagiography. 

♦ rmaa oipo iranh nwipn irn-nna 
dk "o * iDjro hmv ythb Ti he hvhw* Titty) " 

♦ njmo^ rum'DDi * pfofb 1 ? rftjrbo rrhjih * ohpa 

♦ Dm,! pibtim barron Dinn *?aa D^ph rvwu^ 
nans 1 ?" * vrnnoa p2inh • 1OT2 "vam ^aa naW" 
Tiaj?^ * nipfypn nwan ?» Kian * hxthd f "ims 
ariarpar pa 4 "^n^» "n n« nai^r * nanaia "n na 

♦ jrrn rrfoa ^ps arnrrw pa * D^m miaa -|£# 
Rlri i^fis * "i^^ tear * ti^ ^a * "-pa^> tea" 



INTRODUCTION. O 

* "Dini tive ■ojk -wk" # pirD mr nn« p*w * n^pin^ 

dH^ • "^ sio^'iana dim Vno *i^j? pT3n war 

* mto iti3&> 

In our Holy Law we find her glory. 

"And now, O Israel ! what doth the Lord thy God 
require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God ? " 
(Deut. x. 12. 13.) By that exalted fear you will 
be animated to seek after, and will progressively suc- 
ceed to., a state of perfection, and be accomplished in 
all the following divine injunctions : — 

" To walk in all his ways; " i. e. to imitate all his 
divine attributes. 

"To love Him;" the most perfect, and permanent 
worship. 

" To serve the Lord, thy God ; " to serve the 
Eternal, whether he manifests himself in the adminis- 
tration of justice, or in the lenient exercise of mercy. 

"With all thy heart," indicates both the rational 
and sensual inclinations ; and "with all thy soul," 
even to sacrifice our lives for the glory of God. 

" To keep the commandments of the Lord and his 
statutes." The Hebrew word ~\M2&h is also to guard, 
i. e. to make a fence to the divine precepts. 

"Which I command thee this day." The term 
this day is applicable to a present time, meaning, that 
the divine precepts shall be so acceptable, your wish 
and desire to perform them so ardent, that they shall 
always appear as if the law of God had been received 
by you this present day. 



INTRODUCTION. 



4 D\^:m ?i3» 

Repeated in the Prophets. — u Wisdom and know- 
ledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength 
of salvation : the fear of the Lord is his treasure." 
(Is. xxxiii. 6.) 

* d wu; hih ym Ho^ * "n j-ikt no^n wmi " 

i:rrn * rwDn ^ ima ik^ * hxth. du nMnm 
n^THiD irbnn * i^an nm * Dm&njj W mco tew 
Ho • riDst? iD^ * -ri/^ niDM! nu/ynrv\ noanm 

♦ M*h saw nr\» * \n 

The inspired Psalmist. — <( The fear of the Lord is 
the beginning of wisdom : a good understanding have 
all they that do his commandments. His praise 
endureth for ever." (Ps. hi. 10.) 

In order to obtain the true intrinsic sense of the 
verse, we must attentively observe the connection 
of its three parts. We may suppose that a man 
possessed of wisdom, without being accompanied by 
the fear of God, might still, through the frailty of 
human nature and innate propensities, deviate from 
the path of rectitude : then the praise acquired by 
his wisdom will consequently vanish, and be changed 
into censure : whereas a man endowed with wisdom, 



INTRODUCTION. 



preceded by the fear of God, will probably act and 
conduct himself according to the dictate of wis- 
dom, and his praise will then endure for ever, 
Df*0 D^K ^j3 2W foan |fl S^VD^I and find 
favour and good understanding in the sight of God 
and man. 

iDiDi ptddh * nj/i rwwn "n nsT" * nnhw *hwn2 
onnw * -py nps » iwaii ^ wa^ : "in d^ik 

♦ Drn&&a p^sn'pari njiy\xh * vidd n^rtra trip 
tie 1 ?'? nnn * pajrri TMnm * mum * ^ribn *Dm 

* m ^ rin^ 1 ? dj/o jrii rrim * naoa nfynn mapVi 
W Wd »im * njn rrwan *n nam # idki 
*on >a * "n n*m on^ onp^ ^ww * pvibifrn 
*nsh p dj Tuop p£i * TiB^m njnn rv&xi 
noma d:^^ -wsk * Dini; mrpna^ ^ 13 * *\snfa 
orw ^sd * d^ik tea • tie v /Q l^arn * "n n«T 
a 1 ? n?h • ita idibi ilban * "n namo wtorw 
^ * v-iaoa n£K • 19 dj cueon rrai ♦ on^» Tiinp 
nn^ ■o * nam ^ ^02 yim * yaw f& f *? nam 

ify ^e jRoj/«/ Moralist. — "The fear of the Lord is 
the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom 
and instruction." (Prov. i. 7.) Judicious reader, 
you will find that the Moralist called in the foregoing 
verses upon four characters : viz. the simple, the young 
or inexperienced, the wise and the understanding ; 
exhorting them to be attentive to his moral precepts, 
and that he is confident of their success in attaining 
a degree of knowledge and perfection. He observes, 



8 KSf-TRODUCTlON. 

then, in the above verse: — " As the fear of the Lord 
is the beginning of knowledge," i I thought it proper to 
call upon and exhort the simple and the inexperienced, 
notwithstanding their defective state ; for as they 
may be possessed of the fear of God, they will un- 
doubtedly gain and advance by my instruction : but 
fools (in the Hebrew D v^K eavilim, which implies 
the most vicious characters) despise wisdom and in- 
struction ; for as they are destitute of the fear of God, 
no hope of success can be entertained, and they are, 
therefore, omitted in my exhortation ;' and for the same 
reason we are instructed by the Moralist : — "Reprove 
not thescorner, lest he hate thee; " (Prov.ix. 8.) like- 
wise, " Speak not in the ears of a fool, for he will 
despise the wisdom of thy words." (Prov, xxiii. 9.) 

♦ irVwDDi rvwnn nfy/D *a/ • 'w *aa no run- 
n6 * "n nKTn irrnm *" inp-nn * mnnj * worm 

pa nam * pa •najrf? ii^m maim * d^i p-rea 
'n nxT tri j " wi n>E>; w^ m-ai * rs coatsa 

♦ rvfytt moan !a ^ a\n *d ♦ n^pam nan ^ inn 

* naifon nnw nft 

Behold what Isaiah prophesies respecting the Mes- 
siah— of his power, wisdom, dignity and probity — 
'/ And he will make him of quick understanding in 
the fear of the Lord ; and he shall not judge after the 
sight of iiis eyes, neither shall he reprove after the 
hearing of his ears : but he shall judge the poor with 



INTRODUCTION. ( J 

righteousness, and reprove the meek of the land with 
equity ; and he shall smite the earth with the 
rod of his mouth ; and with the breath of his lips he 
shall slay the wicked." (Is. xi. $, 4.) Hence you will 
infer, as it is the fear of the Lord which will cause 
the anointed to become invested with all these pe- 
culiar virtues, powers, and qualifications, that this 
exalted fear is the beginning of all Wisdom, and that 
to her appertaineth priority and dominion. 

dtk bin Darn now vhy -itPK * sinn ^hm dj 
h^2 vik 1 ? ]nrp no" * tiao nrrnsci t^nii hxw 
nrn uhyin by * nhnp niDK D^nn hzn : "lfojr 
i:vd3 nm * mm hi nDsnrw nhifei * ir:pn 
Kin * "tieb> vm^D nav kt d^kh n« " * mm 
infy/D * unrv '"dtkh ^ n? ^" * tidd nDTin 

: inborn 

7ft e Royal Philosopher, who above all men excelled 
in wisdom. — " What orofit has a man of all his 
labour" (Ecc. i. 3), was first his enquiry ; and after 
having proved and established, by his great expe- 
rience and wisdom, that this transitory life with its 
worldly and temporary enjoyments is but vanity, he 
came to this conclusion : — " Fear God and keep his 
commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" 
(Ecc. xii. 13): in this only consists his superiority, 
his advantage, and the very design and purpose that 
he was created for. 

3 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

onan ynyi nan ♦ ijnroi whx *an ' *nD7nn 

* Dnovo on wmin ^ ty * o^maji 

♦ D^ana:j ^h m^ b;n ♦ &ivp: "%t wun;! fy p^ 

Disciple. — Most reverend and benevolent pre- 
ceptor, behold your words are true and just, founded 
and established by divine authority; they shall, 
therefore, be fixed to adorn my neck, and deeply 
engraven on the tablets of my heart. 

KNvnnKTP ^:idki no*o nwrin njn n# 3*n 
710W viaa rrryn * noann n^arn nwxi 

* rmneo *n jikt »vi ♦ mtyn: mka nnan 
*s\n nn»n * d^d ♦at? ^ noan hxt rte^ JH 
nan wk B^nntao * rrwnn tpaj.no nfyan 
aim "o * lanKO Dnan ir\z nosn ifoa j Tina 
nn • n W£p p Hw arrow * iTa nai^ mm r^/ 

J D^D Dl^ D2F nBW • DMTI r?JD3 p DJ 8¥On H^TH' 

mo niin^ : ibjno nin ik awno aoa.n 10a 
tik to aa ^h^n ♦ lii^ana apjn noKP ion * inojn 
^ao sin vwn pom : win ■ojn kt ^a * wy to 
nann nfy/o man *oao na^ojn nKT.n arm * v>a^n 
: nt^ba nam nanb dhnt xh rnoi ♦inoam : anun 
TDK anio noa * "tin n^jroi tqk ntyo raso dji 
irvo pon moi : D^otp smoa ian amoi nan *moa 
■o • nrn oipon jhii no nwn nt*i rapina p dj 
ia nannm intannpi Dipon nfyo nnan "odo 
rfa;o to D.no mown wnw iryo towai nn»T 
a npa ff n d&> ^a p»n ^ojr to "mm awap 10a * ontsnnp 
TTSa'isi wvoa n»Tn ^o nto ari : -po wti Tto 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

dwahdi * Tinrr t»aao nmhwnn mrmn mjnn 
a£ d^ph d:?28 i &W2 mzh nwnnDn Dunn 
n^^^n jhnt Dfifr an tas • pan nr» nns^ 
ten mooVn D-ran pionro ■£ ; Tarn inDDr^ 
4 i:opi dikpt nrvna m^ Tnm * inWrso T°rv 
m^ tsnrm -nrp • iDir fej W8 3icom lonm 
yifa -q*t nw$> dtot uniw idd : inm tij im 
nn pn inwan ^ dk ^ * ^n; dtk *v*b jwj 
hivn $12® "o ♦ nm^n Kin n^Tn^ pan nn 
* ran** dw *rm • nmn p^n pjtni * rrbx *pM* 
i vunip "n nx ikt* -»»kj rrfyn 

It is requisite to inform you, that when enquiring 
into the cause by which the fear of the Lord is pro- 
duced, we must necessarily divide that fear into two 
classes, calling the one inferior, and the other superior. 
The inferior originating from the animal life, which is 
the fear of punishment, beholding the various misfor- 
tunes, accidents, sufferings, and afflictions to which 
human nature is subject; and although that fear or 
terror produces often a sober and pious conduct of life, 
yet that sort of fear is neither fixed nor firm, nor of the 
same stability as that superior fear which takes its ori- 
gin from the faculties of the rational soul, which, when 
contemplating the unlimited greatness, might, wisdom, 
and goodness, of her God and Creator, is filled with 
reverential awe, respect, and gratitude; and conse- 
quently is ashamed of doing any thing against His 



12 INTRODUCTION. 

holy will, and of offending the Almighty, who is 
VTU3 p8H h2 xhfc the Omnipresent, and beholds 
all his actions. 

A man possessed of the fear of God, established on 
such a firm basis, and such pure principles, is steadfast 
in his faith and integrity, both in adversity and pros- 
perity, and the most cruel sufferings : even death 
itself will not make him deviate in the least from 
his steadfast principles and faith. 

The patriarch Abraham did not hesitate for a moment 
to fulfil the will of God, and to sacrifice his onlv be- 
loved son, Isaa2, nor did the absolute mandate and 
threatening proclamation of king Nebuchadnezzar, 
nor the strange and forcible decree of Darius, king of 
Media, make any serious impression on Hananiah, 
Mishaei, and Azariah, or on Daniel, nor shake their 
faith : for they were determined to suffer martyrdom 
rather than detract from their holy law, submitting 
to Providence, and resigning themselves to be thrown 
into the fiery furnace, and the latter into the den of 
lions, for the glory of God. Their pious conduct was 
regulated by that holy maxim, arising from the su- 
perior fear that nothing could indemnify them for the 
violation of the divine commandments; nor was 
there any thing equivalent to the supreme will of 
that great God and merciful Creator of whom they 
held their existence. 

We frequently meet with examples of these two 
kinds of fear in Holy Scripture. Jacob said, "Deliver 



INTRODUCTION. 13 

me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of 
Esau, for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, 
the mother with the children. " (Gen. xxxii. 11.) This 
kind of fear was produced by the animal life : but 
we read further — " And he, Jacob, was afraid, and 
exclaimed, how awful is this place, this is surely the 
house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." (Gen. 
xxviii. 17.) This fear was produced by the faculties 
of the rational soul, having perceived the holiness of 
the place by the divine communication that was im- 
parted to him. The following verse bears likewise the 
same sense, " And all the nations of the earth shall 
see that the name of the Lord is called upon thee 
(the Israelites), and they will fear thee"(Deut.xxvii« 
1 0) , meaning, they will perceive how nigh Israel 
stands connected with the Deity, and will therefore 
fear and respect them because of their holiness. 
The moral precept — 

The fear of thy father be as the fear of thy preceptor ; 
and the fear of thy preceptor as the fear of God, 
is evidently not the fear of punishments ; but the fear 
of offending them, by acting against the duty and 
respect due to them. 

Before I conclude this subject, I find it proper to 
state, that notwithstanding my naming tWIj/n DNT 
the fear of punishment, as inferior in comparison of 
the other more elevated emotion, and though the fear 
of affliction is even found as an instinct in the brute 



J4 INTRODUCTION. 

creation, as the lamb and goat are dismayed and ter- 
rified by the lion and the leopard ; yet, as it is evident 
that the man who walks in the path of rectitude, 
even from the fear of punishment, must undoubtedly 
be free from that precipitation and gross ignorance 
which leads some to attribute the effects of this 
world to chance, such a one, firmly believing that 
the Almighty God is attentive to the actions of men, 
and dispenses rewards and punishments according to 
their merits and demerits, will assuredly be assisted 
by his God to become possessed of the superior fear 
of the Eternal, which is PQJTK DVJJ equal to the 
worship of love, and called by the Royal Psalmist 
IJlh nlDV mino y n riKT " the pure fear of the 
Lord is everlasting." 

pw * niDDnn T)p»B tfjaia * T^na d^dj r\rw 

Come, drink distilled waters from thy well ; 
They spring from the source of wisdom ; 
The intelligent man will draw from it. 

■hide cfon TfaH 1 tmnoi "ffvjBijf ^ * jnn S/TT 
y-rh hzvw D^un a-aa vw * o^nn n^^n 
i;tp "nn 1 ? -pnrp o^n ok ^d ♦ Tinm own mn& j^n^i 
Ton'? Hna ah * »VD:invn jh: d^ik i vnnDi imovi; 

nn^n nn : w*h nnnrwn^ ^\sn mp^ nm i vb^/o 
" j 771:0 ns *o ^\^in " rafro * rrj? win rwa n^pn 
•n^D Kim "* ■oa m*r^ ^oin *6" ♦ n? ty rawnn nnaoi 



" INTROEUCTION. 15 

xh ^ * hkt xh vtiovjf Kin "W * Tihi/a rv "mnx 
■res nn * iri^n judj Kin&>> nyn p frftii runm jnj 
nn nrwnnt^K sinp -nm |& »■?« pnnrv im.no 
dh^ n^Ninv^3mi3DiDriu f a^ , iiDr\isy»2n rnvi 
*D^nnnDin^pDJiinn nsn nrai :om» ^ai 

* Tinm mo^n rp^nn m»vD:n ftna invri n^E 

* irann ♦ inhy* * inraa *ir#™ 5$ dvpjjb Dm 
nnn'? on^n ^ ihia» *on tin nr^i nnwi non 

* irnDvj? nyp fas : infy/p pranVi innt^n tihnh •■ n 
I Wd nra nr hte* s 1 ? "o * 12 im 1 ? n^sa ^ 

'vn ns ^M^nn"-narD2 /# n^^Dn Tnrnn HIT) 
"1X2D n^nj vi^k tt ♦isa jwmn n* ^ ^ 
-inn 1 ? man ^ovwid ikb hHj irvin» n^o -ftyifa 
m^jfsin^ ^ aim " rwih nnm mn ;' hix + *p 
:inm -pin hy inv^ p ^ *TDD.r»lDi&D3Pi rnaman 
nib n^Dn p fyn : ^n -on 1 ? man tav Tien mpi 
^ omon * ^nnrv udq nipaiwDn nnw ni£>D 
nfyjQ ^ * ]<nn n«-)3n mo^n n^o * irop^an m^jro 
nzD»i * D'ostan d^ijd ^nnm t in^ij/an nmn jdikh 
♦D^nrun & s hy&n ^v^o nvn^ " nz^&o tik noijr 
dW/'? ton ro -in«i m» Dtm om» mm n^s 
nnns pyio^i 4< :npTD d^ew nsry no^n 4 D^^n 
coipn fo .t^de *«; pa no^ ^nnm * pnnnn d^ij/e> 
♦id» ^:a nffnnn tai mnnmn rrnnDi "^#1 p£ip 
p«n nsta 4 rw# nannn D^in * ",n T»jfp inn no " 
nnDTK *"nn "nh nT&w nDK n^.n nrPi «:*pwp 
DU'^m p«n ]o D^con iorv m d^ddi " f mm v^afr 
^nn" ?ki ^nnKnj;*Tp»n n^joi D^ipn u d:\s t^ 
u 1 "r\ n» ^aa 



16 INTRODUCTION. 

The essence of God, to whose perfection no limits 
can be assigned, cannot be comprehended nor con- 
ceived by any created being. It is only to the 
Almighty himself, that the nature of his being is 
known ; even the angels, who are not enveloped in 
darkness, enquire one of the other Where is the place 
of his glory ? how then shall man, surrounded with 
obscurity, though possessed of the most extensive 
learning, wisdom, and knowledge, have any means or 
abilities to form the smallest idea of the essence of 
his God ? or is it possible for any finite being, created 
and in compass of time, to comprehend, or form in 
his limited mind an idea of the infinite nature of the 
Eternal, his Creator, by whom time itself was created, 
coeval with that luminary, the sun, according to his 
divine order — 

H&nnn fai man p V-mr^i ♦ nWm ova hwrtfi" 

u And to rule by day and by night, and to divide be- 
tween the light and the darkness?'' (Gen. i. IS). 

Learned reader, in referring you to Holy Scrip- 
ture, you will find Moses desired to see the glory of 
God. The answer of the Eternal was, " Thou canst 
not see my face ; for there shall no man see me and 
live." (Ex. xxxiii.20.) As I have already observed, it 
is impossible to know what God is. The result of all 
study and of all the knowledge we can attain, is but 
an idea what God is not : and the further we advance 
in discovering what he is not, the nearer do we ap- 
proach to a knowledge of what he is : and this is 



+ INTRODUCTIONS 17 

expressed by the conclusion of the above answer of 
God, " Thou shalt see my back," or behind me, (i. e. 
what I am not); " but my face " (i.e. my being), 
" shall not be seen." (Ex. xxxiii. 23.) One of our 
D^DWil Targumim (paraphrasers) explains the word 
'^"nnKriK my back," V^1#2 JV my works, and 
gives it the following sense : —Thou shalt contemplate 
my works ; for how can the existence of a God, 
Creator, or First Cause, remain concealed while the 
glory of his wonderful works shines so conspicuously?" 

We conclude by acknowledging, that, although, by 
the deficiency of our limited nature, we are excluded 
from knowing the essence, or unlimited nature, of 
our God and Creator, yet we are not excluded from 
the knowledge of his existence, greatness, wisdom, 
benevolence, and his Divine attributes, testified 
by the organization and harmony so visible in the 
creation ; and by that knowledge we adore him, 
and approach to worship and supplicate Him in His 
Holy Temple. It is likewise evident that sense and 
reason were only granted by the Creator to his favour- 
ite, Man, for that purpose and design, to enable him 
to appreciate the bounties of his God, to contemplate 
the universe, to admire the wonders of His works, and 
to worship and glorify the Author of his being. 

You will find the above sublime metaphysical 
truth, and inestimable information, to be in con- 
formity with the intrinsic sense of the words of the 
inspired Psalmist "",1 n$ WSJ *0"U Bless the Lord, 

4 



38 INTRODUCTION. 

O my soul ! " (Ps. civ.) The Psalmist first exclaims, 
"O Lord my God, thou art very great! " in the essence 
of thy being, which is beyond the perception of man. 
From that side thou art concealed; and I have 
neither means nor words to praise thee ; ■ ■ but 
thou art clothed with honour and majesty," a most 
conspicuous figure of the creation, by which thou 
art known as a Creator, and proclaimed as a king; 
and in those exalted titles thou art attired with 
honour and majesty. The inspired Psalmist then 
proceeds to specify the various degrees of the cre- 
ation ; viz. "Thou coverest thyself with light as 
with a garment," — an emblem of the angelical world, 
which, being spiritual and not wrapt up in darkness, 
are, therefore, in many places represented by the 
word light. He points then to the planetary world — 
" Thou stretchiest out the heavens like a curtain ;" 
and finally, he speaks of this lower world inhabited 
by man, and amply describes the perfect economy 
and harmony which reigns in it; exclaiming then, 
" How great are thy works, O Lord ! (alluding to the 
celestial mansion of the angels) in wisdom hast thou 
made them all (pointing to the planetary system, 
and finally of this world) : — The earth is full of thy 
riches." He then proceeds to say, that, by contem- 
plating the works of the creation ; — " I will sing unto 
the Lord as long I live ; I will sing praise unto my 
God while I have my being: " and then the Psalmist 
concludes; — " Let the sinners be consumed out of the 



INTRODUCTION. ID 

earth, and let the wicked be no more; " referring to 
the time when knowledge shall increase according to 
the words of the prophet ; — 

"tproa d^ d^dd n n nx run xixn nxta o" 

c * And the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the 
Lord as the waters cover the sea, then my soul shall 
praise the Lord. 1 ' 

• mitt *n hxt -ipx * rirri np\n "own no^.t^ 
to in TODnh f vfy *pDin£ |1M tpx") 

xidd xim jjvdwi :m TiiMn ]top 4 inx -ijdnjd 
•rnno tvim ^idi f ^nnD:m •nrrtxruMn^ 

: DWQjn rpfero * rii:r« 
njop * nnx nonprn • nrn nsxon ixdk qj 
: rn^ijjsmrnjpTn M nnao Shrti * n^m Vh^ 
yniKn njn 1 ? xin * mo^a D*x*ban job nym 
n^va n^w ^dt rxi • mhuan ^—jd^ itdd 
?^> jm TnEBa i3p: ntbx mTpn x/nnx'? * jiDNai 
N:^n Ho? * ^nan xin ^ t^.tt ? hd^i ? njDDi * nm 
?rvtonn xin n^i ?-ipinn xin noDi rntixn 
nxm * 70^ xj x^ ♦wim nfe*w« ^3 nfijfl 

: n-W» xm ^ 
hex xi n * pxio w Dianni carp ^'mxiiv "•nSw T| 
f co^mDm cowan i^iynn ♦ -nam my Kin * *,ti 

♦ vqr nfymi * is» T^m * my™ ■prosS 

: D^nv: rvah ivh 

* D^kim ♦ooxfon *D\riD na&& on D^nixin 
orDxtan.nmD ^mni» ^nnxi 'Dor-nom 

Dmt^pn * D^nn * tyViaa d^dp on EJ^K^DH 
pj; dj; unh ]\s n:ni : rno^m Hytrin 



20 INTRODUCTION. 

l»mzD D^rnfi on ? p?»33iM d^j^h jrinE) 
dim oiioin^ imp ifi&n ?safh * rmrn 
o^ypin nDinD ♦ prrn v 31 T ? nri Nim ^^pnn 
n» d^tv • D^otpJDi D^n Dm i ^n dSii/3 
pm nwj/^ D^njDtb'i dw *bro"i dwi *ddvj; 
Kim * Mown §jf Tntran rj^pn -idkp -id3 ♦ onp 

: rrna yrfy iiaaa irw * wainD *w pro 
n^nn d^3 ? pnnnn b^nin D^nn:n rvnft 
4 £>k ]m * nniD^ KinKo o^mift * dhdmi 

i -t^h * end * mi 
* noivm * Dbnn 4 pnnnn d^3 ^ dviid nt^t? 
dhb> dtd ^ p^nna * w^pn jidi * Tim 

naiDm ♦Tinrnjawri •'ddhh ^njnns 
imw rmsD 33-ra conn ?ddhh nnia 

: irimv *on wairini 
wpy\ 1 nmo^ jd-ikb nrnn raiyn ? noivn mnD 

"ftt^i *mTOjimsD 33Tio Tin ?vn /rna 
1 )rrm wn nminn wsai : nrioivn ppa 

jmKD 33m)D Kin ]3 DJ -131DH ? 121DH mnft 

?pnnnn d^jd d^vd:h hiD nrojon Kin ^ 
H? *7in * n^3^Dn ^d: ^ w -kmu ♦ niion 
•^o^nVi p3n^ •« iniK ntq p?n.^ d^3 " ; i#K3 
: ihinp nr\ Trnyn hy now o^ns nmiv »vri 

HDH Di"W * TH3K ^13J3 in^tf) * TOB irwh'p ^3K 

n!?p ^a -uoro iE3 4 i*on iiipi * o^m * Dcoinm 



INTRODUCTION. 21 

o • irsh^h wter\ *b w o:>n him te "o jn 
p fy * n^n nbijjD nanp: n^an ^n ; n^Tpsn 

t o^j?n rra n&»n o^aa-non n^an no f> mo» 
njvroo m^ * Dm,^^ ^-?j/ mio^ip *pDin^ 
mrn^n 1 ? im conn hd o ; rvpREfr 
wz& rfmrv * pr^i^ ro inn n^a * nmttn 
Tin neai • Tin n^ ian: noivm # nrowa 
: o^ia ^ *|hon * pi«n ^n on^ jm • m»n nao^ 
pisn nK i»^bi * mm via* * oTi^a dd-dp idd 
nn tey\ * p^pa/n *pjdi • o^n ro-Q hti * nwzni 
7 , o&a *6n ik-qj ^ d^di * " psn ^ nt^Dinn 
ten nvn^ * nrrinib vrixw * "ot^ ^*m ♦' on»n 

: vis'S pio 
? ri'rn ohjn o-mn n^teri np * pinnm kj ^jifijj/ 
nn^i te*n * npntfi te o^ -pntf "b ^ 
njwm • na-oo ptm * tpptyb o^ n*m f pan 
n^ * rmviKi rin *pvi * ^ npnt^i r\j$0t)vn 
naai * tev nnp^ idid ♦ Dip ^n teo hrii tp -ipk 

: i^nonn»7 nun * nsjrv« nj^im nan naj;^ 
onion • rn^WD ^t te ♦■NnunK'ronh ,jrpS 

* mpsn * ir£n:i ^ d^tuoi * irnwyo te ' 

• inran 1 ? \y paan : ■oicoi • HDn • inmaj 
*ro n&>K o^n te n^o avian * invrna^ *yiD 
hu^i ^oaa ihpart te " ivpi? iod : vjs&h 
nn^nn nvipoi u : iwaw ^8 vto ♦ vn«nn 

* cnn^s o^n *tq: nan* * cnRrt fy * httoisi 

• nam n^nrrbi t vhhsn nwi TttTtib unxh nnh 

• im« h>n^ "n n« iid^ * n^on Hk »ti^ 
: m«o ^m * ips: ^m * ua 1 ? tei im« n3n»5i 
no^i * vnnpn pmnn^ »iri "io-n ^n mh 1 ?" 



22 INTRODUCTION. 

Wn» nnbvn wr£ ; ■pddpbi wnpirt vmvD 

* n^Dt £ow tqid * nrn E^njrn nn^n 
: rproi hdhd sin 

To complete and render perfect this introduction, 
which contains the inestimable " treasure of the fear 
of God," I shall add a treatise on the creation, compriz- 
ing information regarding the quantity, quality, es- 
sence, matter, and design of the creation. 

The reader will also be informed of a general 
maxim used in this treatise, and which will be of 
utility in all his researches and study, as it is a true 
key to all scientific works and productions : viz.-- 

In order to acquire a complete knowledge of the 
nature of existing beings, we should possess an inti- 
mate acquaintance with the four constituent causes 
essential to all works and productions, which will 
enable us to reply with truth and propriety to the 
four following inquiries; Who? What? From 
what? To what? i.e. Who is the maker? What is 
the essence ? From what matter ? and To what 
design ? 

And now, my son, lift up your eyes, and behold 
who has created all these. -The Lord God of Hosts 
has produced all these JWJ tP-i out of nothing. " He 
spake, and it was : he commanded, and it stood firm," 
by His supreme and absolute will : blessed and exalted 
be His name, and His memorial, for ever and ever ! 



INTRODUCTION. 23 

Our inquiry will be, first, of the most noble part 
of the creation ; viz. What is the essence or nature 
of angels ? They are spiritual, — free from any mat- 
ter and obscurity, — the first in the scale of the crea- 
tion, — mighty in power, — the messengers of the 
Eternal, — ministers executing His holy will, and 
ready to obey His commands. 

What is the nature of tho planets and stars ? They 
are composed of matter and spirit ; and our divine 
philosophers call their substance the fifth element, 
which is more pure and more solid than our earthly 
materials, not being subject to decay. They are en- 
dowed with life and intelligence, knowing themselves 
and the existence of a God and Creator (see Maimo- 
nides) ; as is expressed by the Royal Psalmist, when 
speaking of the sun, "which is as a bridegroom 
going out of his chamber, and rejoicing as a strong 
man to run a race.'' 

What is the nature of creatures in this lower 
world ? They are subject to decay and dissolution, 
and are composed of the four elements, fire, air, 
water, and earth. 

The creatures on earth are divided into four 
classes; the inanimate, vegetable, animal life, and 
the rational soul. 

What is the nature of the inanimate ? The inani- 
mate is composed of the four elements ; and the con- 
sistency of its matter is its very nature. 

What is the nature of the vegetable ? It is also 



24 INTRODUCTION. 

composed of the fo-r elements ; but the vegetative 
soul is its nature. 

What is the nature of the animal life ? The ani- 
mal is composed of the four elements, and has the 
vegetative soul ; but the animal life is its nature. 

What is the nature of man? He is also composed 

of the four elements, and has the vegetative soul and 

the animal life ; but the rational soul is his essence. 

Which is the most noble and choicest of these four 

sorts of created beings in this lower world ? 

Man: as he is possessed of a rational soul. It is 
said of him in Holy Scripture, that he was created 
'■ QVT^K D^O in the image of God," (Gen. i. 27,) i. e. 
endowed with reason and intelligence ; for the word 
" D?¥ " in Hebrew is applicable to the essence, and 
not to the form or features (as mistaken by some), 
which is expressed by the words " rV32fi IN "I&IH " 
form, lineaments, &c. 

It is evident that every wise artist has a design in 
his work ; for a work without any design is reckoned 
idle and vain. Inform me, therefore, to what design 
and purpose are these creatures formed in this world 
of vanity. — To add perfection to their nature, and to 
advance them progressively. 

The inanimate, as the earth yields its strength or 
moisture to the root of the plant, is changed into 
the vegetable. The vegetable, being food to the ani- 
mal, is transubstantiated into the animal life; and 






INTRODUCTION. 25 

the animal life is transmuted ir s o the flesh of man ; 
and for the use and accommodation of that microcosm 
they were all created : and man was therefore ere" 
ated the last, that every thing necessary for his wants 
and conveniencies should be prepared for him. 

It now becomes our duty to reflect, and to ex- 
amine with care, and consider seriously, the ulti- 
mate end of man's existence, and the purpose and 
design he was created for. What advantage has man 
for all his labour in this transitory life, in a world of 
vanity ? Let his days be lengthened upon earth, feast- 
ing and encreasing in vigour, beholding the time plea- 
sant and the seasons smiling on him ; yet the end, after 
all that, will be to descend into the grave, his flesh 
converted into dust, and his wealth left to others. 

The chief end of human existence is to know God, 
the Creator of the universe. Although His essence 
is incomprehensible, yet His being and existence as 
the first cause is evident and manifest. His wisdom, 
greatness, might, goodness, and all his other divine 
attributes, are likewise conspicuously visible in the 
organization and harmony that reign in the creation. 

To acknowledge that there is one God, and that to 
Him alone worship and adoration is due — that He is 
eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient — that 
He is attentive to this world, which He has created for 
his own glory — and that his divine superintendance 
and particular care and attention is directed to man, 
whom He made a free agent and endowed with sense 

5 



26 INTRODUCTION. 

and reason to know Him and to admire his works — 
to acknowledge this, will animate him to fear the 
Lord his God, to love Him with all his might, " to 
walk in His ways ; i. e. to imitate His attributes, to 
keep His commandments and His statutes, that he 
may attain everlasting bliss and prosperity by his 
own merit and virtue - the reward of the future 
world to his immortal soul ; for, the prosperity and 
happiness of this world is but temporal, vain and 
illusory. 

Ton nmrrh * frmnb ttie&k * *wn nWfa DT)p 
*TD3ii D^nn» vwb »im iipnhti "n n» 
*ron inn ^n d^ *nvm» jtjyw ^ d&> •s-ninl 
-ibw Tiaprw 'Torn \yz>h iyvy ti^ Ton 

•TB^fpa tiM •'■T^» TOW MTM pKH *7D i^O 

nth ♦atonn \r6:6 ♦70a Hjf wkt ^nn Tom 
JTDn h«^ *n ^w nb»a Twon iter? pto 

In closing this introduction, I advise you, in order 
that the fear of the Lord may be constantly before 
you, to figure and represent to your eyes continually, 
the great, dignified, awful, and ineffable name of God 
(rerpaypaixfxaTOP, tetragrammaton, a four-letter word) ; 
to remind you that the Omnipresent (blessed be his 
name !) stands by you, and is attentive to your ac- 
tions, — that His fear may be upon you, not to trans- 
gress ; agreeably to the words of the Royal Psalmist, 
who pointed to this fear in those words — " I set the 
Lord always before me," (Ps. xvi. 8.) 



* rwa no» * pt^n p^n 

THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, 



THE FIRST PART. 



BIBLICAL DISSERTATIONS. 

* \)unxi none 

0/2 £fte various discriminative appellations of the Children 
of Israel ; their origin and explanation. 

The first and the most noble name of this peculiar 
nation is btf~l^ Israel, and frequently hxiW* *K2 the 
children of Israel. 

The name originates from our father the Patriarch 
Jacob, whom God called ^jntfiP" Israel, as we find 

"And God said unto him Thy name is Jacob: thy 



28 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, 

name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel 
shall be thy name ; and he called his name Israel/' 
(Gen. xxxv. 10.) 

Our father Jacob was first called Israel by the 
angel with whom he wrestled and prevailed, and 
that name was afterwardsHS&nctioned by God, as : — 

" : by)tx\ dhm« Dm write d# jthp 

"And he said, thy name shall be called no more 
Jacob, but Israel : for as a prince hast thou power 
with God and with men, and hast prevailed. " (Gen. 
xxxii. 29.) 

The etymology of the above name is as follows :« — 
the name *7tf"iKn Israel is composed of the two 
words 1W yoshar, and fa ael; the first from the radix 
iDW sarah , to rule, from which is formed the noun 
"")&> sar, ruler or prince : the word ^K ad, is power, as 
" ^T b^h W* it is in the power of my hand : " thus, 
the name bftlW Israel, formed of the two words 1^ 
yoshar and 7K ael, bears the sense, that he evinced his 
power or dignity as a ruler or prince in competition 
with a powerful being, and prevailed. 

During the time the children of Israel sojourned in 
Egypt, they were also distinguished by the name of 
D"H3y Hebrews, as we find in a message to the king 
of Egypt ;— 

rt And they (Moses and Aaron) said the God of the 
Hebrews has met with us." (Ex. v. 3.) 

They took that name from their first ancestor, 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 29 

Abraham, who was distinguished by the name of 
n^ Hebrew; 

" And there came one that had escaped, and told 
Abram the Hebrew.' 5 (Gen. xiv. 13.) 

The name *H3J7 has its derivation from the radix 
"QJ/ ongvar, to pass over, and so also has the noun 13J/ 
engver, the side; and Abraham was therefore called 
*HD# in the land of Canaan, because he came from the 
other side of the river Euphrates, as we find — 

^iff] "iron "pPD d.tok na D^aa ns npHi" 
"■lira p» Son irvm 

"And I took your father Abraham from the other 
side of the river, and led him throughout all the land 
of Canaan." (Josh. xxiv. 3.) 

Some of our celebrated commentators are of opinion 
that it is very probable that Abraham was called 'HnjJ 
as a descendant from a branch of 121/ Eber, the son of 
DtP Shem the son of m Noah ; and that he bore this dis- 
tinctive appellation in preference to all the descend- 
ants of Eber, because he followed the worship of the 
true God, and the faith of his progenitors, Shem and 
Eber and their father Noah. We may also infer from 
Scripture, that Shem and his son Eber were distin- 
guished for virtue above all their contemporaries; as 
for Shem, we find that Noah said "D8P "^K "H "pT3'' 
" Blessed be the Lord God of Shem" (Gen. ix. 26) ; 
and Eber his son was invested with the E>T)pn mi Ho- 
ly Spirit, for he called his son ^£ Peieg (division) pro- 
phesying that in his time the earth would be divided ; 



30 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

"fisn h:6m vera ^ ^5 imn oan" 

"and the name of the one (son) was Peleg, for in his 
days the earth will be divided" (Gen. x. 25) ; alluding 
to the time when the Lord confounded the language 
of all the earth, and the people were dispersed and 
scattered over the face of the globe. 

It is also recorded in the Talmud, that Shem and 
his son Eber established, for the benefit and instruction 
of men, an academy or house of learning, where 
the true knowledge and worship of God, and other 
scinces were taught; and which was called by their 
name, 

"injn Dtp hw wnnn wi" 

" The house of enquiry or investigation of Shem and 
Eber : "and our celebrated commentator, u w\ Rashi, 
explains the verse — 

" And Rebekah went to enquire of the Lord " (Gen. 
xxv. 22) ; that she went to the house of learning of 
Shem and Eber. 

During the captivity of Babylon, they were dis- 
tinguished by the name D'HIfT Judeans or Jews ; and 
they are called so by most nations to this day. The 
reason of that appellation is, that in the time of king 
Rehoboam, the son of king Solomon, Israel was 
divided into two kingdoms, the one formed by the 
ten tribes, called the kingdom of Israel, and at times 
called the kingdom of Ephraim, because the first 
ruler and founder of that kingdom was Jeroboam of the 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 31 

tribe of Ephraim ; and the other, formed of the two 
tribes Judahand Benjamin, was distinguished by the 
name of the house of David, or the kingdom of 
Judah. The ten tribes were carried away captive, 
and their kingdom was annihilated by the kings of 
Assyria, long before Jerusalem and the holy temple 
were destroyed ; all the Israelites, therefore, that were 
in the Babylonian captivity were of the kingdom of 
Judah, and consequently were called DHUT Judeans 
or Jews. 

It is manifest that ^KH£" Israel, is the most proper 
and most noble name ; for it was sanctioned by God, 
as already stated, and therefore all communications 
and commandments from God were made and deli- 
vered to them under the name of 7^"1^ Israel. 

It is also evident that the name of ytfTL^ given by 
the angel as a memorial for having prevailed over 
him, and afterwards sanctioned by God, is a testi- 
mony of the superiority of man ; and that the virtue 
of that name may consequently be considered as a 
preventive or antidote against idolatry, may plainly 
be inferred from the manner of proceeding of the 
prophet Elijah, when rebuilding the altar of God 
and reproving Israel for their horrible crime, the 
worship of Baal : — 

When Ahab, king of Israel, was obliged, because 
of the great and sore famine that prevailed in tl.e 
land, to concede to the wish of the prophet Elijah, 
to assemble all Israel at Mount Carmel. and likewise 



32 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the 
four hundred prophets of the groves entertained at 
the table of Jezebel, — the prophet, to prove the folly 
and horror of the crime of idolatry, thus addressed the 
people : — (i How long shall you halt between two 
opinions ? If the Lord be God, follow him : but if 
Baal, then follow him : and the people answered him 
not a word." The prophet then continued, " I, even 
I only, remain a prophet of the Lord ; but Baal's 
prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them 
therefore give us two bullocks ; and let them choose 
one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and 
lay it on wood, and put no fire under ; and call ye 
on the name of your gods ; and I will call on the 
name of the Lord : and the God that answers by fire, 
let him be God. And all the people answered and 
said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the 
prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for your- 
selves, and dress it first, for you are many ; and call 
on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. 
And they took the bullock which was given them, 
and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal 
from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear 
u«, but there was no voice, nor any that answered ; 
and they leaped upon the altar which was made. And 
it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, 
and said, Cry aloud, for he is a god, either he is 
talking, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey, 
or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 33 

" And they cried aloud, and cut themselves, after 
their manner, with knives and lancets, till the blood 
gushed out upon thern. And it came to pass, when 
mid-day was past, and they prophesied until the time 
of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was 
neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. 
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto 
me ; and all the people came near unto him. And he 
repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the 
number of the tribe° of the sons of Jacob, unto whom 
the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy 
name. And with the stones, he built an altar in the 
name of the Lord ; and he made a trench about the 
altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in 
pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four 
barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice 
and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second 
time ; and they did it the second time : and he said, 
Do it a third time ; and they did it a third time. 
And the water ran round about the altar, and he 
filled the trench also with water. And it came to 
pass, at the time of the offering of the evening 
sacrifice, that Elijah, the prophet, came near, and 
said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let 
it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and 
that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these 
things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that 

6 



34 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

this people may know that thou art the Lord God, 
and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt 
sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, 
and licked up the water that was in the trench. And 
when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, 
and they said, DM^H frttH T! DVl5WT Kin "n The 
Lord, He is the God ! The Lord, He is the God ! 

"And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of 
Baal ; let not one of them escape. And they took 
them : and Elijah brought them down to the brook 
Kishon, and slew them there. "(1 Kings xviii. 21 — 40.) 

The worship of Baal consisted in the adoration and 
homage paid to the sun as a deity, because of the 
great influence and ascendant power this luminary 
has over terrestrial bodies; and it was therefore 
called Baal ; in Hebrew hyi lord or master. It was 
also the erroneous idea of the "D"V'D"# worshippers of 
planets and stars, that the influential operations of 
their circular and other motions were at their own 
sole will and discretion ; and that religious worship 
was consequently due to them, as absolute rulers of 
this lower world. 

That most of these idolatrous nations, or at least 
the founders of their worship, and the learned among 
them, were not ignorant of the existence of a Supreme 
Being, the Creator or the First Cause of the universe, 
is plainly to be found in the divine declaration by the 
prophet Malachi — 

5oai • D^m ^ hm * .ikizid nm vm nnrba" 



THE FAITH OF 1SUAEL. 35 

Vhj ^ * m<\r\® rimm *>mh buioi ivpw oipo 

" For, from the rising of the sun, even unto the going- 
down of the same, my name is great among the Gen- 
tiles ; and in every place incense is offered unto my 
name, and a pure offering; for my name is great 
among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts." 
(Mai i. 11.) 

But their error was grounded on the sophistical prin- 
ciple—The Lord is exalted: in heaven is his glory: 
it is below his greatness to be attentive to the lower 
world ; and he has left it, therefore, to be ruled by 
the celestial hosts. Hence the fallacious doctrine 
arose ; — that worship is due to those luminaries, either 
as rulers or mediators between men and the su- 
preme God. 

Truly, when we consider man externally, we see 
the dignity of the celestial hosts, and the grandeur of 
the planetary system over him; and if confined to this 
view only, low conceptions may be formed of the dig- 
nity of man, and much injury may arise therefrom. 
But whoever attentively reflects, will readily perceive 
the evident superiority and exalted scale in which 
man stands connected with Deity ; for as the soul is 
a portion of the Deity, so is the dignity of man su- 
perior to all other created beings, "1 am the God 
of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob-" (Ex. iii. 6. 
No mention is made of his being the God of the angel 
Michael; for of no other than man has he asserted 



36 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

himself, with an individual relation, to be God in such 
a particular manner. 

The various miracles wrought by Moses, and the 
manifold interpositions of providence on behalf of 
man, mentioned in Holy Writ, also the Divine assis- 
tance, by which Joshua was qualified to impede that 
great luminary, the sun, in its diurnal revolution, to- 
gether with the declaration of our royal Psalmist : — 

" djtwi pea* Dnjnw r\wi n»jp vkt \w 

" He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him ; he 
also will hear their cry, and will save them" (Ps. 
cxlv. 19.)— confirm the peculiar providence, and par- 
ticular attention of God to Man. 

The great benevolence of God towards man, so 
elegantly represented by the Royal Psalmist, will 
fully illustrate the foregoing observation, — " njTltf "O 
"pDty when I consider thy heavens, the work of thy 
fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast 
ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him, 
and the son of man that thou visitest him ? " (Ps. 
viii. 4.) Thus, when considering man in his outward 
appearance, he place th him as inferior to the celestial 
hosts ; but, considering him virtually, his superiority 
over all the hosts of heaven is evident, as the Psalmist 
proceeds, — " For thou hast made him a little lower 
than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory 
and honor. Thou hast made him to have dominion 
over the works of thy hands ; thou hast put all things 
under his feet." And after having made manifest 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 37 

man's superiority in the scale of the creation, he 
exclaims — 

" i nan tea -pt? ti» no *w*rw *n ° 

" O Eternal our Lord, how excellent is thy name in 
all the earth!'' (Ps. viii. 13.) 

Israel was repeatedly cautioned to beware of 
falling into the erroneous ideas and fallacious doc- 
trines of those idolatrous nations, as it is recorded, — 

tut pa •D^sn stin "n o njnh n*nn nns" 

" Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know 
that the Lord He is God ; there is none else besides 
Him: 1 ' (Deut. iv. 35.) again: — 

•ovrtwn ion '71 *s : Ti3^ }m rnatpm ovn njrW 
u * my p« * nnno pan *7m * to© D^aa 

" Know therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart, 
that the Lord He is God in heaven above, and upon 
the earth beneath ; there is none else.*' (Deut. iv. 39.) 
But notwithstanding these solemn declarations, 
and the subsequent warnings of all the prophets 
against idolatry, that they should not tolerate nor 
associate with idolators, they allowed those idolators 
to reside in the land of their inheritance (contrary to 
the strict commandment of God to prevent seduction), 
they married their daughters, and were corrupted, ac- 
cording to the words of the inspired Psalmist : — 

" That they were mingled among the heathen, and 
learned their works." (Ps. cvi. 34.) Contrary, and 



38 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

in opposition to the above fallacious and sophistical 
system, is the following passage of the inspired 
Psalmist, which is expressed in the most energetic 
and concise manner :— 

" Give thanks to the God of gods" (powerful beings), 
alluding to the celestial hosts and planetary bodies, 
whom the Creator invested with the power of pro- 
claiming, without speech, his glory, — placed them in 
different orders, and appointed them their various 
movements by which they are subservient to his will, 
and by which they produce many effects in this lower 
world ; consequently, any worship or homage given 
to them, either as rulers or mediators, is derogatory 
to the honour of God. 

The prophet Elijah, in re-establishing the worship 
of the God of Israel, and rebuilding the altar of the 
Lord, took twelve stones, according to the number of 
the tribes of Jacob, recalling to their mind, that unto 
their father Jacob the word of the Lord came, — 
" Israel shall be thy name," (1 Kings xviii. 31.) al- 
luding to the fact, that their want of reflection, origi- 
nating from ignorance and precipitation, was the 
cause of their horrible error ; for if they had seriously 
considered that the name ^tf"W Israel was given to 
their father Jacob, as a memorial of his having wres- 
tled with and prevailed over an angel, one of the first 
beings in the scale of creation, they would undoubt- 
edly not have been guilty of committing so heinous a 
crime as the worship of Baal, degrading their divine 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 39 

portion, the soul: for which they are justly styled — 

•"Dbvifc* "nh dhk mi-* 

" Ye are children unto the Lord your God." (Deut. 
xiv. 1.) 

We find one of the most illustrious titles given to 
Israel, in a message from God to the king of Egypt — 

r,K nhv * t^n toki * hmw mil ^i *"n nD8 ni" 
na :mn •bat mn ■ inte£ janm • ">mjn ^i 

" * 7TD1 131 
'* Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my 
first-born. And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that 
he may serve me ; and if thou refuse to let him go, 
behold I will slay thy first-born son." (Ex. iv. 22. 23.) 

The reason why Israel is entitled to be called the 
first-born, notwithstanding great nations and formid- 
able kingdoms existed long before the name of Israel 
was known, and even before our first progenitor, the 
patriarch Abraham, had any issue, is illustrated by 
one of our sages in the following parable : — 

iC A certain wealthy nobleman of the East, well 
reputed for his wisdom and integrity, promoted his 
youngest son, whose knowledge and wisdom, even 
at a very tender age, attracted the admiration of the 
wise and learned, to the dignity of first- birthright ; 
in justification of which act, he declared solemnly 
that, had it not been for his foreknowledge of beget- 
ting this son who would bring him glory and comfort, 
he would never have married ; ' this son must there- 
fore be considered as the cause of his other brethren, 
and is virtually my first- born son.' " 



40 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

The Almighty God has created this world for his 
own glory, to be known as God and Creator, and as 
His holy name was first proclaimed by the patriarchs, 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their descendants were 
therefore peculiarly chosen to promulgate the name 
of the Eternal, and to diffuse the light of truth and 
morality to all the families of the earth ; they are con- 
sequently the cause of the creation, and are entitled to 
the appellation of "my first-born son, Israel ;" cor- 
responding with the axiom, PI3&T102 ntPJJD PpD 
n^njl the end or design of a work is the first in consi- 
deration. This truth is most concisely and emphati- 
cally expressed bythe prophet — 

"nnNinn ttnwri * 'nh hxnw tamp" 

" Israel is holiness unto the Lord, the first fruit of his 
encrease." (Jer. ii, 3,) 

And now, my son, since you are informed of the 
virtue and dignity of that exalted and noble title, 
" my first-born son Israel,' 'if sinners entice you to sell 
or barter your birthright for pottage of lentiles, ac- 
quaint them that this sort of traffic belongs to the 
sons of Esau, and not to the sons of Jacob, unto whom 
the word of the Lord came," Israel shall be thy 
name." 

I conclude this treatise with exhorting you, when- 
ever you are called by the name of Israel, to let 
your heart be filled with joy, and your mind with 
gratitude to your God, for having conferred on you a 
title so noble, and an appellation so distinguished. 



sronty min • wm * nampn lawnn rprifcH nNW id 



THE SECOND TREATISE 

On the veracity of the Written and Oral Law, and that they 
are both of Divine Authority. 

What constitutes and firmly establishes a true 
and faithful Israelite ? His believing with a perfect 
faith in min ^Sin PJtPEn the Five Books of the 
Law of God, written by Moses, and called Pmn 
aronttf the Written Law, and in Ha ^Q# mill the 
Oral Law, which is the soul and sense of the Writ- 
ten Law. 

That these two laws, which in truth and reality 
are but one and indivisible, were both, at one and 
the same time, deposited and delivered by God, 
through His servant Moses, the faithful of His house, 
to His peculiar people, the children of Israel, as their 
unalterable rule of life, and sure and effectual guide 
to eternal salvation. 



42 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

Our Talmudists infer from the following verse — 

: mxDm * nnnm * pan nn^na ~}h mnw 
mm ir * n-\w shx * mro u^n n-nn i^n 71 

44 And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me unto 
the mount, and be there ; and I will give to thee the 
tables of stone, and the law and commandments" 
(Ex. xxiv. 12), — observing that the words 3 min 
Law, and flltfJD Commandment, would be a double and 
useless expression, were these two words not to in- 
dicate and represent each a distinct idea : thus, the 
w r ord rmn the Law, is applicable to the Uroil^ HIIH 
Written Law; and the word m¥JD Commandment, 
denotes the practical part of it, which is performed 
by virtue of na hjtlW T)y\T\ the Oral Law, as will 
be elucidated at the close of this treatise. 

Observe, that all the words contained l^miro 
rwnpil in our Holy Law, from the beginning to the 
end, from the first word '7VtW8"Qin the beginning,"to 
the last words, " btnw hi WJ} 1 ? in the sight of all 
Israel," are all D^H DVI^K nm the words of God: 
whether historical or preceptive, they were all 
communicated from the Almighty God to Moses, and 
ordered to be written by Divine Authority. 

To use the words of our Talmudists, ♦ nfttf "n 
#3ITD1 "IIDIK nt^DI they were dictated by God, "and 
repeated and written by Moses. It then follows, 
that whoever denies the veracity of the foregoing 



THE FAIT/I OF ISRAEL. 43 

observation, but believes and maintains that Moses 
wrote, in that Divine Law one word, or even a single 
letter, by his own authority, deviates from the true 
faith, and is not worthy to be called a true and faithful 
Israelite, agreeably to the words of our sages, 

i^bki * law ibb nnx -m nro wo noian te 
: hd "n ixt *o • msa mnsn vha * nna jtik 

who maintains that Moses wrote in the Law of 
God, one single word, or even one letter, by his own 
authority, treats the word of God with contempt. 

Before I establish the legality of the Written and 
the Oral Law, and prove that they are of Divine au- 
thority, I shall take a view of the most remarkable 
events from the time of our first ancestor, the patriarch 
Abraham, down to that memorable period when the 
Decalogue was delivered on mount Sinai ; and show- 
ing^ how the hand of God was so conspicuously 
visible, the acts of Providence so open in all the 
successive ages, in order to make it evident and 
manifest how greatly the care and attention of the 
Omnipotent are directed to the actions of men, that 
Israel may know God with His inseparable attributes : 
as we find — - 

^nhhvnn ibw na • -pn pi • -pn ^r«a ibdh wvh" 
Dnj/*n * an ^r\72v -ibw Tins nai • orwcoa 
- : "n ^x ^ 

"And that thou may est tell in the ears of thy son, 
and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in 
Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them, 
that ye may know that I am the Lord:" (Ex. x. 2.) 



44 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

— and tli at they may be prepared for that most solemn 
and awful day, when they shall hear the voice of God 
himself. And as the greatest blessing and true pros- 
perity of man consist in knowing and loving God, to 
regulate his conduct according to His holy will, and 
to inherit ultimately eternal life, all those stupendous 
miracles and acts of Divine Providence were also de- 
signed as ample lessons to all nations, to promote 
that great and general blessing promised by God to 
our father Jacob — 

" : Tpnm * nmxn rwistwa fe * "p •oisn " 

" And through thee and thy seed shall all the fami- 
lies of the earth be blessed," (Gen. xxviii. 14.) 

I shall now proceed agreeably to the wise expla- 
nation given by our sages of the two following verses 
of moral instruction : — 

The Royal Moralist has placed two verses before 
us apparently contradictory of each other: viz. — 

The first, " Answer not a fool according to his folly, 
lest thou also be like unto him," and the following : — 
" Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be 
wise in his own conceit." (Prov. xxvi. 4. 5.) The 
apparent inconsistency of these two verses is re- 
conciled and explained in the following manner, 
WDBH ^02 »m ' XD^jn ^D2 K«T' avoid an- 
swering a fool according to his folly, or entering 
into arguments with him respecting worldly affairs ; 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 45 

but answer him in religious matters, lest he be wise 
in his own conceit, continuing in his errors and caus- 
ing others to err." 

I shall avail myself of this opportunity (particularly 
at this present time when irreligion is disseminating 
its baneful influence) to rescue the sacred words of 
God from the attacks of the revilers of truth. 

Holy Scripture and Revelation have two kinds of 
enemies : — the first are, those who ignorantly deny 
the facts recorded in the Holy Law, and who regard 
the Bible as fictitious and fabulous : their reason (if it 
may be so called) for disbelieving it, is, because they 
have not seen it. They are nearly similar to the 
atheist, who also denies the existence of God, 
merely because he has not seen Him. But the true 
reason is, their being struck with moral ablepsy, so 
as to have neither sight nor reason. 

This reminds me of a fact recorded by one of our 
sages: — A powerful ruler of a certain heathen 
nation threatened a pious Israelite, one of his sub- 
jects, with severe punishment, if he did not procure 
him the sight of his God. One day the Israelite 
appeared with great joy, informing the ruler that, by 
imploring the favour of his God, his request had been 
granted ; and that, on the morrow at noon, he should 
have the honor of a sight of his God. On the follow- 
ing day, the Israelite, accompanied by the heathen 
ruler, entered a field, and told him to look steadfastly 
into the sun for a few minutes, and that the deity 



46 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

would then appear and become visible to him. The 
ruler soon exclaimed vehemently, that he had nearly- 
lost his sight in the attempt. The Israelite then 
replied: — "This is only a luminary created by my 
God, and how can you so profanely desire to see the 
great God and Creator himself." The ruler rewarded 
the Israelite, and became a convert to his faith. 

I shall, for the present, take the facts recorded in 
Scripture in a historical view, without considering 
their merit, or by what means and authority they 
were achieved. I shall also place them upon an 
equal footing with the writings of profane history, 
whereof the events respecting the fate of kingdoms 
and nations is never, or at least seldom, doubted. 
No rational person ever suspected the truth of the 
invasions of Great Britain by the Romans and by 
the Normans, and yet the facts recorded in Scripture 
of equal weight and magnitude, are treated with 
scorn ; and the above infatuated doctrine is preached 
and applauded " U^h 2tPTO3 in the seats of the 
scorners." 

Will reason allow us to suppose that a series of 
events, recorded in Scripture, respecting the rise and 
fall of powerful nations and formidable kingdoms, 
are but the invention of those writers to advance 
their respective fame and credit ? Can we suppose 
such events to be fictitious, as the preservation of 
Egypt and the surrounding nations from famine by 
the inspired Joseph ; — the journey of Jacob, his 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 47 

sons, and their families into that country ; — the long 
servitude and bitter bondage of Israel there; — the 
wonderful deliverance and passage across the red 
sea on dry land, and the complete destruction of the 
king of Egypt and his mighty army ; — the feeding 
of the many millions of Israel during forty y^ears in 
the inhospitable deserts of Arabia; — the overthrow 
of their enemies, and particularly of the mighty 
kings, Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of 
Bashan, by Moses ; — the conquest of the land of 
Canaan, and its thirty-one kings by Joshua ; — and, 
of a later date, the deliverance of Hannaniah, 
Mishael, and Azariah, from the fiery furnace, and 
Daniel from the den of lions — which occurred in the 
very presence of great monarchs and their nobles, and 
are consequently attested both by friends and foes : — 
amazing events resounding from one part of the world 
to another, and which if they were the creation of 
fancy would have early expired by unanimous con- 
tradiction, covered with contempt, and would finally 
have sunk into perpetual oblivion, instead of having 
been held sacred by all nations to the present day ? 

I conclude, that it is but stubborn ignorance and 
smarting guilt that would strive to banish truth : the 
cause of which is obvious ; — fearing it to be true, they 
strive to think it false. This is the dreary refuge of 
the self-convicted. 

The second sort of enemies of Holy Writ and Reve- 
lation, own and acknowledge the facts recorded in 



48 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

Scripture as true and authentic, by denying the in- 
terference of the hand of Providence, and attributing 
all events to chance and nature; regarding the men 
by whom they were achieved as men of skill, artful 
cunning, and deep contrivance ; and that the miracles 
and wonders supposed to be wrought by them in the 
name of God, were all deceptive, and impregnated 
with fraud and imposition. I shall, therefore, in 
order to refute their sophistical and fantastical argu- 
ments, place before you a series of facts from the 
the time of the patriarch Abraham, to that very 
remarkable period when the Ten Commandments 
were delivered to Israel on mount Sinai, and shall ap- 
peal to sound and logical reasoning, to decide whether 
the achievement of those facts, which was beyond the 
common course and limits of nature, was performed 
by the art and skill of men, or by the hand of 
Providence. 

Was it the skill and power of man, or sole confidence 
in God, that animated the pious patriarch, Abraham, 
when he heard that his brother's son, Lot, was taken 
captive, to attack, with his three hundred and eighteen 
trained men, four kings with their formidable armies, 
and enabled him to defeat and put them to flight, 
and to retake the captives and their property ? Was it 
an adventure for interest or gain? I refer to his 
conduct after the battle, in his reply to the king of 
Sodom, who offered him all the spoil, " I lift up my 
hand to the Lord, the most High God, possessor of 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 49 

heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread, or a 
shoe-latchet, or any thing that belongs to thee." 

Behold the integrity, and unlimited obedience to 
the will of God, of the second patriarch Isaac, who 
at the age of thirty-seven years suffered himself to be 
bound and laid on the altar as a burnt sacrifice to 
his God, even without reasoning with his father on 
that awful subject. A man of that piety and devo- 
tion is not to be supposed to possess any art, or 
even to have any inclination to make extraordinary 
efforts, to become so wealthy in the land in which 
he sojourned, as to awaken the jealousy of the king of 
Gerar, who ordered him to quit his kingdom in the 
following words; — " Depart from us, for thou hast 
grown exceeding mightier than we." (Gen.xxvi. 16.) 
Isaac then departed ; but the same king came to 
him, accompanied by his ministers of state, and the 
generalissimo of his army; and they humbled them- 
selves before the patriarch, soliciting him to establish 
a covenant and alliance with them, observing, — "We 
have surely seen that the Lord is with thee ; " thy 
blessing and prosperity is not within the sphere of 
nature "H "]M2 JinK nn^," but 6 'Thou art now the 
blessed of the Lord." (Gen. xxvi. 29.) 

Let us now consider the final result of the unfor- 
tunate event, that befell the third pious patriarch, 
Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes, on his return 
from Laban to his parents, and to the land of his 
nativity : — 



50 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

A prince, the ruler of the Hivites, ravished and 

defiled Jacob's only daughter. Two of his sons, who 

could not find means to punish the guilty ruler alone 

for his great and abominable crime, viz. polluting 

and degrading the daughter of the godly and holy 

patriarch, took the firm resolution, without the 

knowledge of their father, to destroy by stratagem 

all the male inhabitants of the place, whom they 

accused as accessary to the crime of their ruler. Their 

father, then, exposed unto them the danger that would 

arise from their imprudent conduct, observing "We are 

but few in number," — and remarking that " all the 

inhabitants of the land may gather themselves 

against me, and destroy me and my household ; " 

they replied "WfilriK riK n&PJP nyiDH Should he 

deal with our sister as with a harlot. 3 ' (Gen. 

xxxiv, 31.) 

Let us now consider what extent of vengeance and 
retribution might be expected from the neighbouring 
princes. All the male inhabitants with their ruler 
slaughtered, their wives and children taken captive, 
and that by the sons of a stranger. " But the terror 
of God fell upon all the cities that were round about, 
and they pursued not after the sons of Jacob." (Gen. 
xxxv. 5.) 

I cannot quit this subject, without observing that, 
according to the translation in the English Bible, 
the reply of the sons to their father's disapprobation, 
contains nothing but what was already known to 
him prior to his reproving them. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 51 

And as their answer contains no apparent justifi- 
cation of their hazardous conduct, their silence might 
have done as well as their reply. 

The Hebrew word HtPJP from the radix H#J? the 
third person singular, future tense, translated by the 
English shall he deal (relating to the ruler), must here 
be taken in a general sense with regard to any per- 
son who should learn the above unfortunate event ; 
and it bears the following sense : — 

' Since our sister was defiled by violence (as ex- 
pressed by the word J13JP1, which is, literally, he af- 
flicted her*), her innocence, her character, and that of 
our family, remain pure and unstained as before. 
The chastisement we have inflicted on them is a tes- 
timony of the ruler's guilt and our sister's innocence 
and purity ; whereas our departing without avenging 
the gross offence, would have created a suspicion, 
that our sister had consented to the crime.' The 
answer must therefore be construed in the following 
sense — UVTinK J1K DftJP HilOH 'Shall he (any 
one who may hear of the transaction) cast a reproach 
upon our sister (through suspicion) as a harlot !' 

We come now to the origin of the descent of Is- 
rael into Egypt, which took place through Jo- 
seph, the beloved of his patriarchal father, who, 
from the degraded state of slavery, by a succession 
of events, in which the hand of Providence was 
visible, became elevated to the dignity of regent over 
the land of Egypt ; which exaltation was an omen 



52 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

to the whole nation of Israel, who were also re- 
deemed from bondage, and exalted to be called a 
kingdom of priests, a holy nation, and a peculiar 
treasure to the Lord God of Israel, 

Joseph, being aware that he was the precursor of 
great events, and that it was the will of Almighty 
God, who had many times communicated with his 
pious father, to conceal from him for a time, the 
existence and dignity of his son in Egypt, did not 
think it proper, therefore, to discover himself to his 
father. Even during the first nine years of his 
splendid rulership, he wept in silence over the suf- 
ferings of his parent, and left the issue and result 
of the event to Providence. 

He was at last amply rewarded, by seeing his be- 
loved and venerable parent in great prosperity ; and be- 
holding him, after many years of trouble and mourn- 
ing, enjoying complete happiness, surrounded by 
all his children and their progeny, even to the fourth 
generation, walking in the righteous way of God, 
honored and respected by the Egyptians and their 
princes. As for Joseph, he had the honor and satis- 
faction to see his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, 
adopted by him as his own children, and dignified as 
the fathers of two distinct tribes ; and at last he had 
the high satisfaction of fulfilling the last request of 
his pious father — that his remains should be taken 
into the holy land to be interred in the sepulchre 
of his fathers in the cave of Machpelah. This request 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 53 

he executed in a most splendid manner, and, after 
the expiration of seventy days' mourning solemnly 
observed by the Egyptians, Joseph and his brethren 
went up, accompanied by all the princes and nobles 
of Egypt, escorted by a great number of chariots 
and horsemen, and when they came beyond the 
Jordan, "they mourned with great and very sore 
lamentation, and there Joseph made a mourning for 
his father seven days" (Gen. 1. 10), to the great 
astonishment of the inhabitants of the land of 
Canaan ; who said " this is a grievous mourning to 
the Egyptians ; wherefore the name of the place 
was called D'HtfB ^28 Abel Mizraim." (Gen. 1. 
11.) Joseph afterwards closed his own valuable 
life at the age of one hundred and ten years, after 
a glorious and prosperous rulership of eighty years. 

After the decease of Joseph and all that generation, 
the cruel bondage and servitude of the Israelites 
commenced. Moses, although educated as prince- 
royal in the palace of Pharaoh, was, by his natural 
virtue and meekness, induced to become attentive to 
the treatment of his degraded and suffering brethren, 
and, going out to visit them, he discovered a task- 
master cruelly beating one of his brethren. 

Considering that the lives of his afflicted brethren 
were endangered by the ill-treatment of this mur- 
derous taskmaster, and finding that no redress for 
their grievances, nor justice for ill-treatment could 
be obtained, he took the resolution to destroy him ; 



54 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

but when Moses perceived that his patriotic conduct 
was fully discovered, and that the king sought to slay 
him, he quitted the land of Egypt. 

Moses was eighty years old when he came with 
the first message from God to the king of Egypt ; 
and it may he supposed that he would never have 
returned to his native country, if it had not been by 
the order of God. We find in the first communica- 
tion from God to him, that he refused to go, saying, 
"Who am I, that I should bring the children of 
Israel out of Egypt?" observing also, "I am not 
eloquent, for 1 have an impediment in my speech." 
We may also suppose that his refusal originated 
from his natural modesty and great meekness, till 
the order of God became absolute: — "I will be 
with thee ; and thy brother Aaron shall be thy 
speaker; and I will be with thy mouth, and with 
his mouth, and I will teach ye what ye shall do." 

We now come to examine the merit of their mis- 
sion, and in what manner it was performed. 

Imagine two old and venerable men, with staves 
in their hands, making their appearance before the 
magnificent throne of a mighty monarch, surrounded 
by the grandees of his kingdom and his officers of 
state, and boldly* addressing him in the following 
words; — " Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let 
my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me 
in the wilderness." To this, the haughty monarch 
replied arrogantly, "Who is the Lord, that I am 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 55 

to obey his voice, to let Israel go? I know not the 
Lord; neither will I let Israel go." (Ex. v. 1. 2.) 

We are induced to infer from that insolent answer, 
that he must have regarded Moses and Aaron, either 
as impostors, adventurers, or maniacs : what then 
could have prevented that haughty monarch, from 
exercising his authority in punishing them, either 
with death or imprisonment, for the great insult of 
degrading his dignity before his trembling subjects? 
There is no doubt that he intended to do so, but the 
hand of Providence prevented him. 

To comment and illustrate duly on every Divine 
message and plague which took place, till the depar- 
ture of Israel from Egypt, would be too prolix for 
our present subject. I shall therefore make a general 
remark, to show with what respect and lenity this 
ambitious monarch was treated. 

He was earnestly cautioned of every calamity, and, 
as soon as he consented to let Israel go, his words 
and promises, which he so often violated, were ac- 
cepted, and the plague ceased. 

The lenient treatment shown to this ambitious 
king, produced a contrary effect , and occasioned 
the increase of inflictions, which is forcibly described 
in the genuine sense of the following words "J"! p?rPl 
rfjns ih ntf " and the Lord hardened the heart of 
Pharaoh" (Ex. ix. 12,), which have perplexed many 
readers by inducing the inquiry, how it is consistent 
in a just and merciful God to harden the heart of 
the king of Egypt to disobey, and to punish him 



56 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

afterwards for that disobedience. But the truth is, 
that the God of Israel, who is "Vljf JW rmDK ^K" 
" a God of truth, and without iniquity" (Deut. 
xxxii. 4.), did not interfere with the faculties of 
his mind ; the king of Egypt remained a free agent, 
in choosing either obedience or disobedience. But 
the lenient treatment of God, as already observed, 
which would have produced gratitude and contrition 
in an humble heart, caused a contrary effect in the 
haughty heart of this ambitious monarch. Attri- 
buting these merciful dealings to a deficiency of the 
power of God, and the interference of his imaginary 
deity, even after his full confession — "OKI pHVH "H " 
D*>JJt£Hn ^DJ^ the Lord is just; and I and my people 
are wicked" (Ex. ix. 27.); — he returned to his first 
disobedience and obstinacy. This elucidation of 
the above verse is fully supported, and firmly estab- 
lished by the following moral observation of our 
sages : — 

D^mn mn FSbnot? owin pnna * tramn 

" Blessed are the righteous who turn the attribute of 
justice into that of mercy. Cursed are the wicked 
who turn the attribute of mercy into that of justice." 
The righteous, when in adversity, acknowledge 
the hand of justice, examine and correct their 
actions, become, by their contrition and repentance, 
reconciled to God, and thus convert the hand of 
justice into that of mercy. But the wicked, intoxi- 



TUl£ FAITH OF ISRAEL. 57 

cated with prosperity, which produces in them 
self-approbation and arrogance, continue in their 
pernicious actions ; nay, some of them, when be- 
holding the great success of the ungodly, are excited 
and emboldened, to utter such words of blasphemy 
as the following — 

is 4 pn am Dnm 4 *n rrjn mco m n&ny brr 

<* Every one that does evil is good in the sight of the 
Lord, and he delights in them ; or, Where is the God 
of judgment?" (Malachi ii. 17.) And thus they 
turn ultimately the attribute of mercy into that of 
severe justice, as is plainly expressed by the inspired 
Psalmist — 

4 ;ik ^ud Ho iiwi ♦ igfp lbs dwi rmai" 

" When the wicked spring up as grass, and all the 
workers of iniquity do nourish, it is that they shall 
be destroyed for ever." (Ps. xcii. 7.) 

Such was Pharaoh in his despotic authority and 
great splendour. : Intoxicated with the wine of 
arrogancy, he dared to blaspheme, " Who is the Lord 
that I should obey his voice ? " so that even the 
declaration of the magicians — "WH D\n^K JDVK 
This is a finger of God," — and the remonstrance of 
his ministers, — "How long shall this man (i. e. 
Moses) be a snare unto us ? let the men go that they 
may serve the Lord their God : knowest thou not 
yet that Egypt is destroyed," — all these only 

9 



58 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

extorted from him the concession of part of their 
request. 

After the ninth plague, the king sent for Moses, 
and offered him more advantageous terms, which he 
rejected, saying: "There shall not a hoof be left 
behind." 

The haughty and angry king then discovered his 
criminal inclination to destroy Moses, had he not 
been prevented by the hand of God ; which we may 
infer from his absolute order and threat unto Moses, 
— " Get thee from me; take heed to thyself: see my 
face no more ; for in that day thou seest my face, 
thou shalt die." To this Moses replied, "Thou hast 
spoken well, I will see thy face no more;" and he 
cautioned him at the same time of the last terrible 
plague, viz. " Thus saith the Lord, about midnight 
will I go out into the midst of Egypt ; and all the 
first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the 
first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, 
even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is 
behind the mill; and all the first-born of beasts; 
and all these thy servants shall come down unto me, 
and bow themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, 
and all the people that follow thee : and after that I 
will go out." (Exod. xi. 4—10.) 

I find it proper to observe, that, out of respect to 
royalty, Moses omitted the word king in the above 
declaration, notwithstanding his foreknowledge that 
the king himself would come down in the night of 
the plague. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 59 

Notwithstanding all this, the heart of the king re- 
mained inflexible to the will of God, till that most 
dreadful night, when the Lord smote all the first-born 
in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh 
that was to sit on his throne, unto the first-born of 
the captive that was in the dungeon. 

In that night, the king himself, his ministers, and 
all his servants, arose; and, calling for Moses and 
Aaron, granted their request without any conditions 
whatever, entreating them to depart without delay, 
and likewise imploring their blessing. 

This is therefore the memorable night of the de- 
parture of Israel from Egypt, urged by the Egyptians, 
exclaiming, " We are all dead men ! " 

The signal for Israel's departure was then given, 
long before break of day; and they begun their 
march, under the conduct of God and Moses, to the 
number of six hundred thousand men bearing arms, 
besides old men, women, and children, servants, and 
a great multitude of strangers who followed them on 
their march, and abundance of flocks, herds, and a va- 
riety of other cattle ; leaving the Egyptians to mourn 
and bury their dead, whilst they were loaded with 
silver and gold, and costly raiment, paid for the 
labour enforced upon them during their bondage, 
according to the promise of God to their father Abra- 
ham, " They shall depart with great substance." 

The haughty king, and his proud and cruel na- 
tion, who were not sincere in their obedience to the 



60 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

will of God, began to repent of their parting with the 
Israelites, and losing the benefit of their service; and 
thinking they might easily overtake them, being en- 
tangled in the wilderness and fatigued with their 
march, they prepared a very considerable army, con- 
sisting of six hundred of the choicest chariots, besides 
all the chariots of war that could be found in Egypt, 
and a multitude of horsemen and footmen, amounting 
(according to some writers) to six hundred war 
chariots, thirty thousand cavalry and two hundred 
thousand foot, or (as others assert) to one million of 
armed men in all ; but as Moses does not particularize 
the precise amount, it is evident that they mustered 
their whole military power to avenge themselves, or 
to recover their loss. 

Israel, filled with consternation at the sight of such 
a formidable army, that threatened to endanger their 
lives and freedom, implored the assistance of the Lord 
of Hosts ; and, when their fear made them murmur, 
Moses soon pacified and comforted them with the 
assurance, that this would be the last time of their 
seeing the Egyptians. 

God ordered then the people to begin their march 
towards the sea, and directed Moses at the same time 
to stretch out his rod, assuring them that the waters 
would forthwith divide themselves, to make way for 
Israel to go through as on dry land, whilst Pharoah 
and his army, venturing to pursue them, would be 
overwhelmed bv its waves. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, Gl 

Moses then obeyed, and made the divine signal ; 
and a strong easterly wind divided that arm of the 
Red Sea, which opened a passage for Israel, who 
already had begun their march towards it. The 
angel of the Lord who conducted them by the pillar 
of fire instantly removed from the front to the rear of 
the host of Israel, and stood between them and the 
Egyptians, so that the column of fire produced a 
double effect, giving light to the Israelites in their 
inarch, and casting darkness over Pharaoh's camp, 
to prevent their perceiving what was doing in that of 
Israel. 

And now, whilst Israel was passing through the 
destined passage, the waves arose in heaps and stood 
as a wall on each side of them ; and the Egyptians, 
perceiving the Israelites marching off, resolved upon 
a a close pursuit after them, and, filled with confidence 
to march through the sea as well as the Israelites, 
they pressed onwards. 

But confusion and dismay seized on the pursuers, 
when their war-chariots, driving more and more 
heavily by the morning-watch, and other indications 
of God's fighting against them, made their military 
ardour abate, and caused them to resolve upon turning- 
back and retreating from those whom they so eagerly 
pursued; but all their haste could not save them: 
and now, feeling with regret that their insolent con- 
duct, after so many warnings deserved the punish- 
ment that awaited them. God commanded Moses to 



62 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

stretch out his rod once more ; which was no sooner 
done, than the waves, which had been miraculously 
suspended, fell again by their own weight and over- 
whelmed Pharaoh and his host, so that not one of 
them escaped the common ruin ; whilst Israel beheld, 
with wonder and amazement, the carcases and the 
rich spoils of their enemies, thrown upon the sea 
shore, according to the sacred writ — 

" And Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea 
shore." (Ex. xiv. 30.) 

I now lay before my readers the following verse, 
which requires elucidation: — 

EMMbn "n my -wk ♦ nhim th na * hxiw kti 
" : rojf ntrtDii "m lram 4 "n ns d# n i*m 

" And Israel saw that great work (mighty hand) 
which the Lord did upon the Egyptians, and the 
people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and 
his servant Moses." 

It cannot be supposed that Israel only acquired a 
fear and belief in the Lord after the passing of the 
Red Sea on dry land, and not before, as might be 
gathered from the words of the verse; for we find 
already, in the first communication from God to 
Israel, even prior to any plague taking place in Egypt, 
that they believed in the Lord and feared him, as is 
fully expressed: "And the people believed, and 
when they heard that the Lord had visited the children 
of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 63 

then they bowed their heads and worshipped." (Ex. 
xiv. 31.) How much more must their belief have 
augmented, after the numerous miracles and plagues 
had taken place, and their departure from Egypt ? 

In the first communication from God to Moses, 
we find that God disapproved of the doubt and sus- 
picion Moses entertained concerning the faith of his 
people, by saying "*^ WDW tih pi but behold they 
will not believe me/' The famous commentator, 
Rashi, observes, that the token of the turning of the 
rod into a serpent, was likewise an allusion to his 
having adopted the profession of the serpent, by 
"inn \wh accusing Israel falsely; " and so likewise 
the second token, of his hand becoming leprous, — 
the peculiar punishment for that offence ; as we find 
Miriam, having wrongfully censured her brother 
Moses, was punished with leprosy. All these go 
to establish the Faith of Israel, their fear and belief 
in God, when the first Divine message was commu- 
nicated to them ; and we cannot therefore admit that 
they made that acquisition only after passing the 
Red Sea. 

Judicious reader, it is a maxim received by tra- 
dition, that wherever in Scripture the name, Israel 
7N"K^\ and the word, D#n the people, are used 
alternately in the same passage, and especially in 
the same verse, that the former implies the learned 
or superior class of persons of that nation ; while 
the latter, DtfH the people, implies the unlearned 
or inferior class of society, and is very frequently 



64 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

applicable to the 21 21V mixed multitude and 
those who were converted to the faith of Israel. By 
the assistance of this rule, you will discover the 
true sense, and obtain a full intelligence of the verse, 
" h$r\W KTI and Israel saw." 

The children of Israel, who already feared and be- 
lieved in the Lord, were now sufficiently advanced to 
become invested with the tfiHIpn rm Holy Spirit, 
to have a spiritual sight of the mighty hand of God 
stretched against the angel called "D^VE hti? 1W 
the prince of Egypt ; " as we find in Daniel '• 1&> 
DID 1W ]V the prince of Grecia, the prince of 
Persia'' (Dan. x. 20.): but " DJfP! the people," 
(applicable to the 21 21V the mixed multitude, 
who were converted to the faith of Israel, and joined 
them after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt,) 
were now, after the destruction of the Egyptians, 
advanced to the fear and belief in the Lord, [and 
mission of Moses his servant. 

According to the above rule, with regard to the 
distinction of the words, 781 W s Israel, and D#n 
people, the whole chapter containing the unfortunate 
event of the "worship of the golden calf, where the 
word " D#H the people " is so often opposed to the 
word — 7ft"W Israel, must be construed as follows : 
The Egyptians, and strangers of other nations, (ex- 
pressed by the word DJ?i"l) who became proselytes to 
the faith of Israel, and joined them, were in reality 
the authors of that horrible crime; but " ^"W 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL- 65 

Israel " rendered themselves culpable, only in re- 
maining silent spectators when the honour of God 
was concerned, and in not preventing, even at the 
the risk of their lives, the idolators from executing 
their horrible design. 

Israel, who saw themselves saved that day out of 
the hands of the Egyptians, and beheld their cruel 
masters dead upon the sea-shore, became animated 
with the most lively sentiments of gratitude to their 
Almighty Deliverer : and, to celebrate this miraculous 
victory, a hymn was composed, extolling the great- 
ness of God's power manifested in this signal achieve- 
ment, and in his amazing mercy towards his people. 

Having divided the people into two great choirs, 
Moses placed himself and his brother Aaron at the 
head of the men ; and at the head of the women he 
placed his sister Miriam. 

The canticle was sung, and after every succeeding 
verse, the following first verse of the hymn was re- 
peated in chorus : — 

"tro r\m mn did # nw raw ^ «fih rrrw 

" I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed 
gloriously ; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into 
the sea." (Exod. xv. 1.) 

By that great and wonderful deliverance of Israel, 
the name of the Omnipotent God and Creator was 
known, magnified and feared, as it is recorded : — 

10 



66 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

nnt£" te was • -un ■orw rmiD ^k • dhk ^k 

" The people shall hear and be afraid; sorrow shall 
take hold of the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the 
dukes of Edom shall be. amazed ; the mighty men of 
Moab trembling shall take hold of them; all the 
inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. (Ex. xv. 
14,15.) 

The abode of Israel in the land of Egypt, from 
the descent of the patriarch Jacob and his family, 
until their deliverance from thence, amounts to two 
hundred and ten years. 

There are many historians and expositors, who 
vary in their opinions respecting the computation of 
the time of Israel's abode in Egypt. Some compute 
it to be four hundred years ; others to be four 
hundred and thirty years ; and as these writers 
deduce their authority from scriptural records, I 
shall, in order to show the error of those comment- 
ators, elucidate and explain those records in their 
true and genuine sense. 

The computation of the four hundred years is 
erroneously taken by them from the following divine 
revelation made to the patriarch Abraham p3 JVQX 
D'Hron in the covenant between the pieces." (Gen. 
xv. 9, 10.) 

nr\m : hi: Bona W2P p"nnKi 4 \ddk ]i najr 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 67 

tit) * naico nawa ^apn * di^ko t^k ^ Nian 
: nan *«r n&an ]v d^ xh o * nan law Tan 

" Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stran- 
ger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them ; 
and they shall afflict thern^ four hundred years ; 
and also that nation whom they shall serve, will I 
judge ; and afterwards they shall come out with 
great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers 
in peace ; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 
But in the fourth generation they shall come hither 
again : for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full" 
(Gen. xv. 13, 14, 15, 16.) 

I shall first prove that the time of four hundred 
years, in the above revelation, cannot relate to the 
sojourning of the patriarch's seed in the land of 
Egypt only, as supposed by these expositors : for, if 
we take the hundred and thirty-three years, the 
whole life of Kehoth, the son of Levi, who came 
down to Egypt with his grandfather Jacob, and the 
hundred and thirty- seven years of the whole life of 
Arnrom, the son of Kehoth, and those of Moses, the 
son of Amrom, who was eighty years old when he 
brought Israel out of Egypt; — the number of all 
these years will only amount to three hundred and 
fifty. From these we may substract an allowance 
of years which Kehoth might have attained before 
he came down into Egypt, as likewise the years 
the two fathers, Kehoth and Amrom, might have 
lived before the birth of their children, This proves 



68 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, 

demonstratively that the four hundred years JTH23" 
"D'HrQn ]\2 in the above revelation cannot relate 
to Egypt alone. 

The spirit of the above divine communication is as 
follows : — God promised to Abraham in the covenant, 
to give the land of Canaan as an inheritance to his 
seed, and informed him at the same time, that the 
promised land could not be taken possession of, till 
the time of the fourth generation of Jacob's children, 
because the iniquity of the Amorites would not be 
full till then : consequently that his seed, which is 
reckoned from the birth of Isaac (agreeably to the 
words "jnT ~\h NHp* 1 pmr:i "O in Isaac shall thy seed 
be called," Gen. xxi. 12.) should live in a land that was 
not theirs; alluding not only to Egypt exclusively, 
as supposed by some writers, but also to Canaan, 
Gerar, Mesopotamia, &c, wheresoever his seed lived, 
during the time of four hundred years. 

Regarding what is added in this revelation, 
" DJT1K 13JH DHDJH and shall serve them, and they 
shall afflict them," it is commonly understood to be 
spoken circumstantially, and might, to prevent mis- 
construction, be put parenthetically : thus, " thy seed 
(from the birth of Isaac) shall be strangers in a land 
that is not theirs (and shall serve them and be af- 
flicted) four hundred years;" which servitude and 
affliction must not be understood as the order of God, 
but that God foretold to Abraham that it would 
happen so that a certain nation that would grant them 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, 



hospitality, and receive them friendly, would, ulti- 
mately, keep them in bondage and afflict them ; for 
which this nation shall be punished : and when the 
above time of four hundred years shall be expired, 
they shall have a happy and glorious deliverance, 
and go forth with great substance as the reward for 
their servitude ; and that the fourth generation of the 
children of Jacob shall then return hither and possess 
the promised land, which promise, had it not been 
for the criminal conduct of the D^^HD men sent to 
view the land, would have been performed in the be- 
ginning of the second year of Israel's departure from 

Egypt. 

The four hundred and thirty years in the following 
declaration — 

J/m&O D^tf DnVD3 830* -)B>K $&§& "03 2W)n\ * 

" : rim mKD 

" The sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt 
in (Mizraim) Egypt, was four hundred and thirty 
years,'* (Ex. xii. 40.), — commence from JVD 
D'HrGH |G the period of the first covenant God 
made with Abraham, which took place thirty years 
prior to the birth of his son Isaac, including the 
sojourning of the patriarchs and their children in 
various countries as well as in Egypt. 

The word D^V/D Mizraim, Egypt, is in Hebrew 
a characteristic name from the radix "HV, and equal 
to the words- " ,T TU^Ip 1VDH ]D I called upon 
the Lord in distress," (Ps. cxviii. 5.) implying 



70 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

oppression, and applicable to any country where they 
were oppressed ; the above verse includes, therefore, 
the soj ourning of the patriarchs and their descendants, 
as likewise the oppression and persecutions, both of 
the fathers and their children which they suffered in 
the various countries during the above four hundred 
and thirty years. 

It is justly observed by our sages JFT&ttf HD h*2 
D\n^> Sin WD n)2^h all that happened to the 
fathers should be considered as a "sign" to their 
children. 

The patriarchs were, by the infinite wisdom of 
God, appointed to proclaim His holy name., and to 
disseminate the light of truth throughout the world ; 
and by their manifold persecutions and miraculous 
deliverances, which always turned into joy and glory, 
the name of the Most High God was magnified and 
exalted. 

The first patriarch Abraham, notwithstanding the 
great honour and respect paid to him by the sons 
of Heth in saying <")y>mm HHS DT6& WttO we 
consider you a godly mighty prince among us," 
(Gen. xxiii. 6.), was still desirous to comply with 
the will of God (Qnran pn rra-l in the covenant 
between the pieces) to regard himself as a stranger, 
according to his own words— 

" I am a stranger and a sojourner with you." (Gen. 
xxiii. 4.) 



THE FAITH OF ISKAEL. 71 

The second patriarch, when determined to descend 
into Egypt on account of a famine in the land of 
Canaan, God ordered him 

"Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee and 
will bless thee." And of the patriarch Jacob, when 
he returned from Mesopotamia with his family, we 
have the following declaration — 

"littb x~)$2 va& mjD pan npjp st^r 

" And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was 
a stranger, in the land of Canaan." 

The lives of the patriarchs were a series of perse- 
cutions and deliverances in which the hand of Pro- 
vidence was visi bly manifested . In his native country, 
Abraham was persecuted by INimrod, king of Baby- 
lon, for his worshipping the true God, and finally 
compelled, together with his family, to leave his 
paternal soil, and take up his residence in Haran. 
He then separated himself from his father's house by 
the express command of God, and went into the 
land of Canaan, a country wholly inhabited by idol- 
aters; where he fearlessly proclaimed the worship of 
the true God, as we find " "H DBQ S.^pl and he called 
there on the name of the Lord." (Gen. xiii. 4.) 

When Lot, his brother's son, was made captive by 
Chedorlaomer and his allies, he sympathized with the 
distress of his nephew, and took the resolution to attack 
four formidable armies with but a handful of warriors, 
viz. three hundred and eighteen trained men. En- 



72 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

couraged only by confidence in his God, he marched 
in pursuit of the conquerors, rescued Lot Jand his 
family, retook all the spoil, and restored it to the 
former possessors. It was then that the word of the 
Lord came to him in a vision saying : — 

: *mn nmn *ipom + 1 1 ? \sn paa * Dins *mn hx 

" Fear not Abraham, I am thy shield, thy reward is 
exceeding great." (Gen. xv. 1.) 

It is here to be observed, that the confederacy of 
the four kings, in making war, was designed for the 
destruction of Abraham by way of taking his nephew 
captive: he was, therefore, reassured by the Lord, 
after their overthrow, with the above promise of pro- 
tection and prosperity. 

The oppression Abraham suffered in Egypt, when 
the king violated the rights of hospitality in taking 
Sarah by force from him, and the result of that event, 
bear a striking likeness to the oppression of his chil- 
dren, and their ultimate deliverance from that country. 

Famine was the cause of his descent, and also that 
of his children. His fear, when entering Egypt, as 
expressed to his wife in the following words : — 

t w* irvmi "ma irrn 

They (the Egyptians) will slay me, and save thee 
alive" — was a foreknowledge which was realized 
in the destruction of the male children, and the 
preservation of the female children by the order of 
the king of Egypt: — 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 73 

"♦•pnn ran fen inwtowi rm^n Tifen pn fo w 

" Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, 
and every daughter ye shall save alive,"' (Ex. i. 22.) 
and as the great plagues that befell Pharaoh and his 
household on Abraham's account, made him restore 
the patriarch's wife ; even so, the great plague of 
the first-born of Egypt caused the king to come 
down at midnight to set Israel at liberty, craving, 
and accelerating their departure. Abraham de- 
parted, well rewarded for this atrocious treatment, 
as we find, — " And Abraham was very rich, (in 
coming out of Egypt) in cattle, in silver and gold," 
even so did Israel depart with great substance, as 
the reward for their cruel bondage and rigorous 
servitude so unjustly endured. 

The pious patriarch Isaac was often ill-treated 
by the inhabitants of the land he sojourned 
in. A constant strife between the shepherds of 
Gerar and those of the patriarch was unjustly 
maintained. The wells of water were filled up, 
or otherwise demolished by his neighbours ; and 
at last he was exiled by the king, who envied his 
prosperity; yet all this turned to his honour and 
glory 5 for the persecuting king humbled himself 
before Isaac, confessed his error, and called him the 
blessed of the Lord, and ardently solicited his friend- 
ship and covenant. 

The third patriarch Jacob, in order to save his 
life from the criminal intention of his brother Esau, 

11 



74 THE FAITH OF fSRAEL. 

lied from the mouth of a lion to that of a leopard. 
Laban, his mother's brother, received him at first as 
a friend, but successively sold him his two daughters 
for the price of a rigorous servitude- of fourteen years, 
agreeably to the words of Jacob : — " 21T\ \^3& DTQ 
nWl mpl the intense heat consumed me by day, 
and the frost by night." (Gen, xxxi. 40.) 

When willing to return to his parents, Jacob was, 
by the urgent solicitation of his uncle, persuaded to 
continue with him, acknowledging at the same time, 
that the blessing of God and the increase of his 
wealth came by the sole merit of his son-in-law. 

Jacob accordingly served Laban six years more, 
for a stipulated reward, consisting of the speckled 
sheep that should be born in the flocks under his 
care ; which agreement Laban treacherously changed 
many times : but by the blessing of God, the patri- 
arch grew exceedingly rich. 

Jacob, perceiving the intention of Laban to detain 
him for ever in a state of servitude, took the 
tion to depart with his wives, children, and all his 
property, without the knowledge of his uncle. Laban 
pursued and overtook him, and as he was wan 
a dream neither to hinder nor delay the patriae ?h's 
return to his parents, they made a covenant i d 
parted amicably. Jacob, thus rescued from trie 
hands of Laban, and reconciled with his brother 
Esau, and having happily escaped from Shechem, 
thought now to enjoy a life of rest and happiness 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, id 

in the land where his father sojourned. But this 
enjoyment was but of short duration, being inter- 
rupted by his constant mournings and lamentations 
during twenty-two years for the supposed loss of 
his beloved son Joseph, of whom he said " Hi"! ITn 
*pV *y")0 *ptt "inrte^ an evil beast has devoured 
him, Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces," (Gen. 
xxxvii. 33.) 

But all these past unpleasant occurrences were 
succeeded by happy ones ; and all his wounds were 
healed at last by the following balm of life. 

The venerable patriarch, surprised by the glad 
tidings of the existence of his son Joseph, a ruler 
over all Egypt, went to that country, and there em- 
braced him. surrounded by the nobles of the kingdom, 
and beheld all his virtuous family happy, honoured, 
and respected by the monarch and the people. 

The glorious result of all these remarkable events 
relating to the holy patriarchs, was an omen to their 
descendants, whom the Lord God of Israel brought 

forth "r^m csh "A nvnh edvtceb fr-an tod 

out of the iron furnace (Egypt) to be unto him a 
people of inheritance" (Deut. iv. 20), as recorded 

onvD \nxn 71 many hz mw nrn cm D^a 

and it came to pass, at the end of the four hundred 
and thirty years, even the selfsame day, it came to 
pass that all the host of the Lord went out from the 
Land of Egypt. — (Ex. xii. 4l. N 



76 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

Reader ! you will now find that the abode of the 
children of Israel in Egypt, amounts precisely to 
two hundred and ten years, by substracting from 
the four hundred years in the covenant between 
the pieces (taken from the birth of Isaac), one hundred 
and ninety years, viz. sixty years, the age of Isaac 
when Jacob was born, and the hundred and thirty 
years of Jacob when he came down into Egypt, yet as 
their servitude did not commence till after the death 
of Joseph and his brethren, it will only amount 
to one hundred and seventeen years ; for, allowing 
that Levi, the son of Jacob, was about forty-four 
years old, when he came with his father into that 
country, he must consequently have lived there 
ninety-three years, his life being, according to 
Scripture, one hundred and thirty-seven years ; 
and when these ninety-three years of his abode in 
Egypt are taken from the two hundred and ten years ; 
there remain but one hundred and seventeen T^ears of 
Egyptian thraldom. 
The journey of Israel from the Red Sea to Mount Sinai. 

They travelled three days from the Red Sea 
into the wilderness of Shur, but found no wate: .: and 
when they discovered the waters of Marah, andfoui. * 
them too bitter to drink, the Lord directed Moses 
to a tree which sweetened the water as soon as he 
cast it in. 

From thence they departed and encamped at Elim, 
where they found twelve fountains of water, and 
seventy palm trees, corresponding with the number 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 77 

of the twelve tribes of Israel and their seventy 
elders. They continued there about three weeks, 
up to the fourteenth of the second month, on which 
they decamped from this place, and entered, on the 
fifteenth of the same month, into the wilderness of Sin. 
Their provision becoming now exceedingly scarce, 
for the dough which they had brought with them 
out of Egypt and which supplied them sufficiently 
for one month, was now consumed; they began to 
murmur, which murmuring, however, met with no 
reproof, but on the contrary, they got a gracious 
promise from God to rain down bread from heaven 
unto them ; and in order to make a further trial of 
their obedience, he commanded them to gather a 
certain ratio every morning, and to provide themselves 
on the sixth day with double the quantity, because 
they were not to expect any to fall on the seventh, 
which must be kept holy. 

Tbn following morning, at break of day, they fol- 
lowed Moses at some distance from the camp, where 
he shewed them a kind of white dew, resembling a 
small hoar frost, which covered the face of the 
eartb ?.?>d "loses told them that this was the bread 
which God had promised to feed them with during 
their abode in the wilderness, commanding them to 
gather an HIDJ/ Omer for every head, which is about 
five pints, or forty- three eggs. 

The people no sooner saw this new bread, than 
they were surprised at the strangeness x>f it, crying 
to one another, ? Kin ]ft Man-hit, manna, signifying 



78 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, 

What or whence is this? they gave it therefore the 
name of man or manna. 

They departed from the desert of Sin and pitched in 
Rephidim, where they murmured for the want of water ; 
Moses then implored the Lord, who was pleased to dis- 
sipate his fears by promising to signalize this place with 
as miraculous a water as he had the last with a miracu- 
lous food. O^ 1 . .-.remanded him to take the elders 
of Israel a^ ri "> •. the people up to mount Horeb, as- 
suring him, that upon smiting the rock with his rod, 
the water should immediately gush out from it, in 
such plentiful streams as would be more than sufficient 
to allay their thirst. Moses obeyed, and God vouch- 
safed to send them plenty of water, and in memory 
of their new murmuring, the place was called 
f-Q^lpl riDD massahy tempting, and meribah, 
contention. 

About this time, Israel being attacked by the 
Amalekites, Moses ordered his minister, Joshua, at 
the head of a sufficient force, to make head against 
them, whilst he himself went up to the mount to en- 
treat God for his success: and Joshua discomfited 
Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 

Moses was then commanded to record this signal 
victory, and to vow a lasting war against the Amalek- 
ites, till their very remembrance was quite blotted 
out. He also reared up an altar to God, and called 
it TO "il the Lord is my banner, to intimate that God, 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 79 

who had made them declare war against Amalek, 
would not fail to crown it with success. 

On the first day of the third month of the going 
forth of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, 
they came into the wilderness of &i + ^ere, their 

abode proved the most interesting of all otLeis, I ~ +he 
wonderful promulgation of the Divine Law. Moses, 
knowing that this was to be the "sc». u 'of Che most 
glorious wonders that mankind ever bcL.b_.; and the 
place from whence the peculiar law was to be de- 
livered to them accompanied with the utmost terror 
and majesty, made them encamp before the celebrated 
mount of Sinai, that they might all be eye and ear- 
witnesses of the Divine Presence. 

Whilst they were pitching their tents according to 
his direction, Moses went up to the mountain, where 
he was called by God, and commanded to remind 
the children of Israel of all the wonders and miracles 
God had wrought in their favour, and to offer them 
the law of God for their consideration and acceptance, 
in the lowing words — 

jnDep b& nnjn : ^fcioanai ara^i * cmtM ^Ma 

■vhon ^ vnn dhki j yisn hi ^ ^ * &mn bin 

bx "Din "wk unyin rfat * &mp Tiii * D^na 

":*7inw ■on 

"Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and 
how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you 



80 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

unto myself. Now, therefore, if ye will obey m 
voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye sha 
be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for 
all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto me a 
kingdom of priests, and a holy nation; these are the 
words which thou shalt speak unto the children of 
Israel." (Exod. xix. 4—6.) 

Moses came down, assembled the elders, and 
acquainted them and the people with the gracious 
Divine message, and they, in answer, promised all 
obedience to God's commands, in the following 
words:— " myj/J "H im IMS h^ all that the 
Lord hath spoken we will do." (Ex. xix. 8.) Our 
sages observe that the reply of the people contains, 
besides the plain sense of their full obedience, an in- 
timation " vshn n& m*o^ wyxsn " that it is 

their ardent wish and humble supplication to receive 
the Law from their God and King himself. When Mo- 
ses had returned the words of the people unto the Lord, 
the Lord granted their request, saying unto Moses, 

"sun jfbtt* Tom * p#fi njn ■pfo *o o:n run 
\u^h WEftr "in D,n *y2y nm Lo I come unto 

thee in a thick cloud that the people may hear when 
I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever." (Ex. 
xix. 9.) 

Moses returned, and charged them, by the com- 
mand of God, to prepare themselves against the third 
day for the glorious scene, to wash their clothes, and 
abstain from all nuptial commerce, and prescribed 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 8i 

limits to them and forewarned them from approach- 
ing the mountain under the severest penalties. 

$p nn^i * tind p?n id^ hp ♦ inn fy *nD ]«n 
n*np^ di?h ns rwo kiwi : nirrpa n^s birr? 
-im nnn rpnnra is&m *nmDn \& &nhxn 
ton *&W3 "n i^to tt -i&w iim M^a jew td 
5np \-m:*mft nnn to Tirn j^aan ^js w# 
ovi^m ♦idt pwb *TmD prrn iton -is^n 
" : hpn tarn 

" And it came to pass on the third day in the 
morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, 
and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of 
the trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people 
that were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought 
forth the people out of the camp to meet with 
God; and they stood at the nether part of the 
mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, 
because the Lord descended upon it in fire ; and the 
smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, 
and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when 
the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed 
louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered 
him by a voice." (Ex, xix. .16 — 19.) 

Previous to an elucidation of these verses, it is 
necessary to remark that ]TKH ft'K "£$6 in order 
to accommodate the ear and conception of man, we 
find in Holy Writ terms and expressions relating to 
God wholly inconsistent with his divine nature, 

12 



82 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

Such terms and expressions when used in relation 
to God, must therefore not be understood in their 
literal sense as applicable to the changeable nature 
of man, but in a spiritual sense wholly abstracted 
from all corporeal ideas. 

The word IT to descend, must, in the above verse, 
1 ' the Lord descended upon it/' be explained, either 
as condescending, or, according to the DWD Targum, 
'* "H v^n^T the Lord revealed himself," meaning 
that the rtra# the Divine presence, or '7? TDD the 
glory of the Lord, was revealed unto them. 

The word p# cloud, so frequently used by revela- 
tion or Divine presence, as, pjn HftlJ "H TDD1 and 
the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud ; again 
fVTMn h)i n*TIK pm >2 for in a cloud will I be 
seen upon the mercy-seat, indicates that by our 
deficiency no clear and perfect sight can be obtained 
of the Deity ; as God is invisible and his essence 
incomprehensible, his appearing therefore to man 
is but relating to his glory, by which his divine pre- 
sence is made known to men according to their merit. 

The above divine declaration unto Moses " H2H 
P#n 2JJ2 T»^N Ha DiX behold I will come unto 
thee in a thick cloud," will now be rendered in- 
telligible, namely, God made known to Moses, 
that notwithstanding his superiority above all other 
prophets, as confirmed by the words of God — 

u t rmm k^ ntinm p nai» na hx na " 

" With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 83 

apparently, and not in dark speeches." (Num. xii. 0.) 
That on this most remarkable day the divine reve- 
lation unto him will be, in a less degree than before, 
expressed by the word f ' p#n DJJ a thick cloud," 
but adapted to the capacity of the people, that 
they may be enabled to hear and comprehend 
when I speak unto thee, and will consequently 
believe that thy mission is of divine authority 
for ever. 

All our learned men are unanimous in the following 
opinion, that the first two commandments, 

um \h "\T kV) ![$¥?& "n ^MR" 
" I am the Lord thy God, and thou shalt have no other 
gods," (Ex. xx. 2, 3.) were communicated directly 
from God himself to the people. But the other eight 
commandments were communicated to them by the 
medium of Moses ; and this opinion is taken from the 
following verse — 

*nT nwn * trd prrn ~vnn isnan l ~np vm" 

"■ And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, 
and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God 
answered him by a voice." (Ex. xix. 19.) 

The voice of God was heard in the sound of the 
trumpet, known by the incessant increasing power 
of that voice, so contrary to the natural decreasing 
voice of a trumpet; and we are informed in the above 
verse, that after the people heard the voice of God in 
communicating to them the first two commandments, 



84 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

and as the voice of the trumpet sounded, and waxed 
louder and louder, more than they could endure, they 
then implored Moses, saying : 

&nh& iidi? hit hm * riypwy) vny nns w 

Ci Speak thou with us, and we will hear ; but let not 
God speak with us, lest we die (Ex. xx. 19); and 
as their request was granted, consequently Moses 
communicated unto them the other eight command- 
ments ; but God assisted him by a voice that he might 
be heard over all the camp of Israel : thus all the verses 
relating to that solemn occasion, are reconciled and 
explained by the following verses in jTttn tl2W12 
Deuteronomy. 

inn : sshnp hi h& tt itt nhxn D^ntn dk" 

* tp* *rin ^nj hp * hznvm pj?n wan -pniD 

i ^k c:m ♦ D^n^n mni' w *—)jj Dnnn^i 

" These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly 
in the mount, out of the midst of the fire of the cloud, 
and of the thick darkness with a great voice, [inces- 
santly, with out pause (Targum)] : and he wrote them 
on two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. 
And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of 
the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn 
with fire) that ye came near unto me, even all the 
heads of your tribes, and your elders. And ye said 
Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory, 
and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out 
of the midst of the fire : we have seen this day that 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. So 

God doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now there- 
fore why should we die ? for this great fire will con- 
sume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord oar God 
any more, then we shall die. For who is there of all 
flesh that has heard the voice of the living God 
speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and 
lived. Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our 
God shall say, and speak thou unto us all that the 
Lord our God shall speak unto thee, and we will hear 
it and do it " — 

" And the Lord heard the voice of your words when 
ye spake unto me, and the Lord said unto me, I have 
heard the voice of the words of this people which they 
have spoken unto thee, they have well said all that 
they have spoken. O that there were such an heart 
in them that they would fear me and keep all my com- 
mandments always, that it might be well with them 
and with their children for ever." 

im hd nriKi : Dyhrwh b?h raw or& -iqk -}h 
nnunh sn^ jrna "oas -W8 p*u win blDbn n&w 

u Go say to them get you into your tents again. 
But as for thee, stand thou here by me and I will 
speak unto thee all the commandments and the sta- 
tutes and the judgments which thou shalt teach them 
that they may do them in the land which I give them 
to possess it." — (Deut. v. 22—; 31.) 

Thus, the Lord condescended to deliver the ten com- 



86 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

mandments himself to his peculiar people — " tf^fth 

•njmv Kin ♦ lasta "ft wppiniD "ft irtoDW "ft *& 

to make known that the Lord is our Judge, the 
Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King, he will 
save us," by which His Law is established for ever, as 
likewise the divine authority of the mission of his 
faithful servant was testified by the myriads of 
Israel, as declared by God : — 

" that the people may hear when I speak with thee, 
and believe thee for ever." 

Israel, according to the order of God, returned to 
their tents, but Moses remained in the Mount which 
was covered with a cloud : — 

nnv tub d^i box xh dh^ n W dud-ini dv tfj/ym 

" Forty days and forty nights he did not eat bread nor 
drink water." 

By the great luminary and celebrated commentator, 
Rabbi Moses Alshuch, we are favoured with a reason 
why the abode of Moses in the mount was limited to 
forty days and forty nights, observing, as the foetus is 
formed in forty days and forty nights, even so much 
time was Moses in the mount without taking any 
nourishment, but subsisting by spiritual enjoyment, 
to reform his nature, to rid himself of the inherent 
frailties of man, to ameliorate and improve his spiritual 
and intellectual faculties, and approximate himself to 
the nature of an angel, in order to enable him to retain 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 87 

in his memory DD hviti? TVKVnn h*2 the entire Oral 
Law, likewise the sublime and intrinsic sense 
contained in Dron^ mm the written Law, 
which sense is marked by our sages by the word 
DTI a Pare] as (an orchard), the four letters of the 
word DT)D being the initials of the following words, 
expressing the four qualities of DrOI!^ T\T\T} the 
written Law, which are : — 

td * ttrm * fE") * toi^s 

Dl^S, the plain sense ; V2T\ 9 hints or intimations 
(marked by dots or points) ; £H"H, a by-sense drawn 
by a critical investigation ; TD, the secrets of the Law. 
lie was also informed of the nature and secrets of the 
whole creation, of the angelical and planetary, ethe- 
real and terrestrial worlds, as recorded of him " £03 
N1H ]DKJ TP3, he is faithful in all my house." 

The Divine Law was delivered and communicated 
by Moses to Israel at different times, and as adapted 
and suitable to the various seasons, places, and cir- 
cumstances during the forty years of their abode in 
the wilderness ; when at the end of the forty years, 
when the law was completed, Moses deposited it in 
the hands of the Levites, to be put in the ark of the 
covenant of the Lord ; as recorded : — 

bp n*t?n rmnn nm nk aro^ n&6 frifca vm * 

mn vna ^tw D^n ns mn wiiDDn "tj; • -ibd 
im» oniDttn tith rmnn idd na np^no^'n 

" And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end 



88 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

of writing the words of this Law in a book, until they 
were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites 
which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 
saying, Take this book of the law and put it in 
the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your 
God, that it may be there for a witness against thee." 
(Deut. xxxi. 24—26.) 

We received by tradition, that Moses distributed 
at the same time, twelve JTnin *H£D books of the 
Law, written by his own hand, one to every tribe. 

iWin "no rrn pi 

The method or order of instructing Israel in the Divine 
Law, was as follows : — 

Every passage or chapter of 3rDl£> fmn the 
written Law, whether historical or preceptive, Moses 
wrote by Divine authority, and placed it TV2 ^%h 
V$Dt2P h% *2£$1 in before his council or senate, 
called afterwards p*Y7i12P Sanhedrin, and before 
all Israel; this council consisted of D^p* D^JQt^ 
Seventy Elders or Senators, the most learned and 
pious in Israel, of whom he was \>7 r~TO t£W") 
President. 

Every chapter of 3frD3t£> JTTiri the Written Law, 
was then discussed and explained according to HIIH 
H£) h])2& the Oral Law, which Moses received 
coeval with the Written Law. The coherency and 
agreement of these two laws were likewise proved 
and established to show that this Oral Law is the 



THE FAITH OF ISUAEL. 89 

true and genuine sense of the Written Law ; and that 
they are so intimately and inseparably connected, 
that they are, therefore, considered as one and indi- 
visible. 

Moses also instructed them in the practice of the 

" \nn win: rrv\nnu; nno mow uhur 

thirteen divine rules received with the Oral Law," 
likewise of those rules, called by some of our learned 
" mm "^ intimations in the Written Law," as "ft 1 ?® 
and 1DH perfect and imperfect words," and of all 
those called « TDD T1&6h Hr^H the decisive Laws," 
that Moses received verbally at Sinai, by whose virtue 
the Law is expounded, and all difficult matters there- 
in resolved and determined. He also informed them 
of the four qualities of the Sacred Law, marked by 
the word DT1S> as already stated. 

Aaron, the High-priest, was then honoured by ap- 
pointment to repeat, for the improvement of Israel, 
all the learning and information taught by his brother 
Moses ; after him, it was repeated by his sons ; and 
finally by the elders : and then the Israelites gathered 
themselves by thousands and thousands in their re- 
spective academies for the study of the Law. 

Every individual of Israel was permitted to write 
memorandums of the Oral Law, in order to assist his 
memory for his private use ; but the public study 
and instruction was taught orally, as has been stated. 

The following is an exact account of the various 

13 



90 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

presidents and their respective councils, from Moses to 
" N^DTI W$ 21 Ravashy and Raviny," by whom the 
Talmud was compiled and formed, about four hun- 
dred years after the destruction of the Second Temple. 

The Enumeration of the Names and Characters of forty 
Presidents, who transmitted the Oral Law by Tradi- 
tion to their Successors, during the Space of seventeen 
hundred and eighty- seven Years. 

"H 72JJ W21 H^D Moses, our preceptor, the servant 
of the Lord. 

PHPD mWD p3 in &&ST Joshua, the son of Nun, 
Moses' minister, 

jrDri pTW 12 "BJpte p DPUS Phinehas, the son of 
Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the high-priest. 

iron ty Eli, the high-priest. 

N\33n knots' Samuel, the prophet. 

"|^H TH King David, before and after he was king. 

W2in m^Pil iTTIK Ahijah, the Shilonite, the pro- 
phet. 

tf*:un lppfo Elijah, the prophet. 

•TOan lTO^n JJBT^tf Elisha, his disciple, the prophet. 

JiTDJI ^TliT Jehoiada, the high-priest. 

IT-pf Zechariah. 

l^aan JJttnn Hosea, the prophet. 

Ifraan DlftJ/ Amos, the prophet. 

ITMrn HW Jesias, the prophet. 

JrOKl nyn Micah, the prophet. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 91 

iraa?1 hw Joel, the prophet. 

#3jn Din: Nahum, the prophet. 

HSUil plpan Habakkuk, the prophet. 

KM3H JTJ£¥ Zephaniah, the prophet. 

*m)n 1?TDT Jeremiah, the prophet. 

IT") 3 p *p"D Baruch, the son of Neriah, in the time 
of the Babylonian captivity. 

-ID1DH 81ty Ezra, the scribe, who was pi JV3 CPK1 
the president of the n^VTJn riDJD ^£08 great as- 
sembly, amounting to one hundred and twenty of 
the most pious and learned in Israel. Some of 
them were prophets, as Haggai, Zechariah, and 
Malachi. Ezra went up, commissioned with 
full power from the King of Persia, to build the 
Temple of God, and he made great exertion to se- 
parate Israel from the daughters of strange nations, 
whom they married during the captivity of Baby- 
lon. He rendered himself likewise famous for the 
pious and religious regulations which he then 
established ; and his erudition and knowledge in 
the Law of God entitled him to be called a second 
Moses, as is recorded of him — " For Ezra had 
prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, 
and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and 
judgments." (Ezra, vii. 10.) 

pHVH pi? DtP Simon, the righteous, was the last of 
the great assembly, and was president and high- 
priest after Ezra the scribe. 

"OID £P'K DIW&MK Antigonus, a citizen of Socho. 



JY^BDKl tVJtntV Shemaiah and Abtalion ; the first, 



02 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

PHV p %V1 nrjyv p 'OT Jose, the son of Joeser, 
J*1 H*3 ^81 president; and Jose, the son of Jo- 
hanan, pi JV3 3^ vice-president. 

^SIRfl wrttl i^n'li p #m?T Joshua, son of Pera- 
chia, president; and Natai, the Arbelite, vice-pre- 
sident. 

fiBtP p ilJJDan "iRat? p HTliT Jehudah, the son of 
Tabai, president; and Simeon, the son of Shotach, 
vice-president. 

president, and the second, vice-president : they 
were both proselytes. 
SttWl hhft Hillel, president; and Shamai, vice- 
president. 

Iptn hhn H& wa pj;b» pn no? p prro pi Rabbi 

Jobanan, the son of Sachai, president ; and Rabbi 

Simeon, the son of Hillel the aged, vice-president. 
Ip?n b&htti P"l Rabbi Gamaliel, the aged. 
133 ]l#ftt^ pi His son, Rabbi Simeon, 
m ^ftp-tea pi His son, Rabbi Gamaliel. 
T33 pjfDtP pi His son, Rabbi Simeon. 
WW2T\ rTT)!T "Ql Rabbi Jehudah, the prince, who 

was also called ttllpn 1^31 the holy or pious 

Rabbi. 
^WEtP nil pnv "Ol Rabbi Johanan, president; and 

Rabbi Samuel, vice-president, 
KSnft 31 Rabbi Huna. 
,131 Rabbah. 
1*31 Rova. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 93 

NJ\m Wtf 21 Rabbi Ashi, president ; and Raviny, 
vice-president; the compilers of the Babylonian 
Talmud. 

Rabbi Jehudah, the prince, who was also called the 
pious or holy Rabbi, flourished in the reign of the em- 
peror Antoninus, who honoured him with the title of 
prince ; and it was generally believed that there never 
rose up one in Israel like him, where so much erudi- 
tion and piety, wealth and glory were united. He, as 
P"F rPD Jtftfl president, and his sublime senate, the san- 
hedrin, took into consideration the deplorable state of 
Israel, who were then prevented, by their dispersion, 
and the wars which were then prevailing, from gather- 
ing themselves to their respective academies in thou- 
sands and ten thousands, as usual ; and having been 
subjected to different nations, and overwhelmed with 
oppression, their memory became weakened, their 
acuteness of mind and soundness of intellect de- 
creased, and erudition diminished. They judged it, 
therefore, proper to collect and compile all the in- 
structions concerning the practical part of the six 
hundred and thirteen Divine precepts, which was 
taught and asserted " "n# TO1 n&Q b& W1 JTIQ" 
in the sublime council or senate over which Moses 
held the presidency ; likewise all that was estab- 
lished by all the successive " pH VQ senates," as 
a fence and preservation of our Divine Law. All 
these acts and religious duties, that were delivered 



94 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

by tradition down to their time, and called " fmil 
rTS 7%2U? the Oral Law," were now recorded, and 
concentrated into the grand and celebrated work, 
called "HJtPJD mD PNW the six volumes of the 
Mishnah," in order that it might be sent to all parts 

of the globe, " ^wb nnin rorwn xhv ria 

that our holy Law may not be forgotten from Israel." 
In the following chapter it will be seen that our 
learned rabbies were authorised by God to decide 
and determine all difficult matters in the Sacred 
Law, by which the Divine authority of the Oral Law 
is fully established. 

H pa * tnh d*t yb. * vzvrf? in -po k^ ^d h 

nam ; in -pnfo ti -in:r> -iaw oipon *?k rv^jn 
DS^a mm Sp» ©aiteri />*o *D^^n o^nan hx 
hy mcwn : bSj'^Dh m na ^ rwrn nam v onir 
nn:r naw sinn wpon jti 1^ ytw "WK mn *si 
minn >a ^ j'tytp *wk ^m maw^ rriQan *"n 

a*sm : ^otsn $d* ^ itjp n^K "Din p mon 
rh&h iiyiyn * \riin $t& ym >nbn^ pirn wjr -raw 

xh f i»Ti wd^ Dj/n tei- ; 'Votb^d jnnmjm 

" If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judg- 
ment, between blood and blood, between plea and 
plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of 
controversy within thy gates : then shalt thou arise, 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 95 

and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy 
God shall choose; and thou shalt come unto the 
priests, the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be 
in those days, and inquire, and they shall shew thee 
the sentence of judgment : and thou shalt do ac- 
cording to the sentence which they of that place, 
which the Lord shall choose, shall shew thee ; and thou 
shalt observe to do according to all that they inform 
thee : according to the sentence of the Law which 
they shall teach thee, and according to the judg- 
ment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do ; thou 
shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall 
shew thee, to the right hand nor to the left. And the 
man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken 
unto the priest that standeth to minister there before 
the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man 
shall die : and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. 
And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no 
more presumptuously. ,, (Deut. xvii. 8 — 13.) 

" nZ^Dn "H rmn the Law of the Lord is perfect." 
(Psalm xix. 7.) Our Sacred Law, dictated by the 
infinite wisdom of God, cannot be charged with any 
deficiency. Neither are our civil, criminal, matri- 
monial, and martial laws, &c, subject to any amend- 
ments or supplements as those laws composed by 
men. 

The 3r02£> m*\n Divine Written Law, notwith- 
standing the conciseness of its style, comprises besides 
" nWHID ^pDV the profound secrets" therein, the mo- 



96 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

tive, design, and the practical part of the cc JTi^D 3nfi 
six hundred and thirteen precepts, in all conditions 
and circumstances ; by which our path of rectitude 
is regulated « VTSin^ D*T& |^1 Dlpft^ DTK ?2 m 
our duties relating to God, and in those relating to 
our fellow-creatures." 

The " na fynp mm Divine Oral Law," received 
coeval with " Slh]S3P mm the Written Law,'' con- 
taining the sense of the Written Law, is also provided 
with keys, rules, and axioms, to open and penetrate 
" rmn *T1fcn into the hidden places of the Written 
Law," and there discover its treasures and valuable 
instructions, agreeably to the words of the Royal 
Moralist, — 

pan m Tularin MibBMi *pM n^pnrf d& l 
"won tifofe njrn *n n^rn 

" If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her 
as for hid treasures ; then shalt thou understand the 
fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." 
(Prov. xi. 4, 5.) 

The discussing and expounding of the Written 
Law, by the light of the Oral Law, is the work of our 
sages, and is called mm "TO'm the study of the law, 
of which it is recorded « 0^13 1333 mm "HE^m 
that the study of the Law is equivalent to all those 
affirmative precepts ;" that the fruit thereof is enjoyed 
in this world, and the principal reward is preserved for 
the future. It is also asserted by one of our sages — 

♦ nzm u>i2ih mv nnwh mmn pDij/n bi 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 97 

he that studies the law from a pure and disinterested 
motive has many merits ; viz. that the whole world 
is under obligation to him, and that he is called a 
dear friend, dear to God, and dear to man. (Ethicks.) 
It was the will of the Omniscient God to deliver his 
Law to Israel in that peculiar manner, as stated 
above, in order that they should be occupied day 
and night, with searching and studying the Divine 
Law, which will prevent them from being enticed 
by the vanities of this world, and seduced from the 
path of rectitude, when, by their constant meditating 
in the Holy Law, they will discover the Divine 
wisdom therein, which will place all objects before 
them in a true light, and enable them to discern 
between perfect and imperfect happiness ; as by that 
discovery they will perceive the great delight of spi- 
ritual gratification, a true taste of future prosperity, 
and a direct road to eternal salvation. 

The above indisputable truth is most conspicu- 
ously expressed in the two following verses 5 — God 
commanded Joshua — 

rrnnn to nwjft ^nufa * *tke vd*o prn pn " 
5>KDBn pD^ uod man fo *nis rwb Tnna/K 
mwn nap an^ xh i ~\hn ibw to ■ydewi \yxh 
-nDB/n \yzh * rfrVi ddt» m mani * "■pfio nrn 
♦ 70-n n» mten ?k •o * ia niron to rrwfi 

" Only be thou strong, and very courageous, that 
thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, 

14 



98 THE FAITH OF rSRAEL. 

which Moses my servant commanded thee : turn not 
from it to the right hand nor to the left, that thou 
mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest." 

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy 
mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and 
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to 
all that is written therein : for then thou shalt make 
thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good 
success." (Josh. i. 7, 8.) 

As Joshua was the first who received the 
Oral Law from his master and preceptor Moses ; 
he was therefore particularly reminded and com- 
manded (in the first verse) to make the utmost 
efforts to observe to do according to all the Law, 
which Moses my servant commanded thee, evidently 
relating to the Oral Law, and therefore no mention 
is made in this verse (as in the second) of the words 
nrn rmnn "IDD this book of the Law, nor of the 
words " 13 Hrpn ^Or> IVWV 1 ? to do according to 
all that is written therein.'' But the second verse 
clearly and openly points to the Written Law, — this 
book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth and 
thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou 
mayest (by the assistance of the Oral Law discover) 
observe to do according to all that is written therein, for 
then thou shalt make thy way prosperous (in this world) 
and thou shalt have good success " (in the future). 
The chapter in Deuteronomy which I have already 
placed before you, to prove and establish the Divine 



THE 'FAITH OF ISRAEL. 99 

authority of the Oral Law, will now, after the above 
prefatory observations, be clear and open to all 
readers. 

" £32E^ "Q7 -pft R$>8p *3 if there arise a matter 
too hard for thee in judgment ;" — the literal sense 
of the word K7£P is separated or concealed, and 
we are informed in the above sentence, that if 
the decision of any matter is concealed, it is ~\!2!2 
from thee ; as there is no deficiency in the Divine 
Law, which is called '' PTD^Dri perfect;" and we 
are likewise informed that the deficiency consists in 
the disability of finding l02£^£7 121 the rule by 
which thou wouldst be enabled to discover in the 
Divine Law, the decision of the matter before thee, 
*"fHJJI2Q miT") ^121 being matters of controversy 
within thy gates," alluding to the disputation and 
debate in the Divine Law, between the learned 
judges of the minor courts of justice in your cities — 
"ilCpl Then thou shalt go up into the place which 
the Lord thy God shall choose, and present thyself be- 
fore the priests, the Levites (the learned members 
of the grand council called piin^D) or unto the 
judge (the president of that council), and thou shalt 
enquire of them, and they shall shew thee the 
sentence of the judgment;" remark that the com- 
ing unto the priests, the Levites, must not be 
understood in an absolute sense ZHftDTI ""Ql K^K 
mil3, but the verse expresses that which was cus- 
tomary or usual, for, as the priests were generally 
men of-. erudition, they were frequently chosen as 



100 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

members of the grand council, as foretold by Moses 

" fcHapb imirn apin^ t^s^e fiv the y ( tne Le " 

vites) shall teach Jacob thy judgment, and Israel 
thy Law," - ^ TTCP "Itt^K 131H *> fy JTW and 
and thou shaft do according to the sentence which 
they shall shew thee" '"IttfK ^33 'mttfj/^ mD&H 
""pTP" and thou shalt observe to do according to all 
that they inform thee/' The last sentence TMDUft is 
explained by the great luminary, Rabbi Moses Al- 
shuch, in the following genuine sense;-— " As the 
study of the law is most acceptable, and is con- 
sidered one of the best modes of worshipping God, 
as declared by our sages K^K mittf nyOBTl PK 
tllhn Hw hlD8 JOItf "(inn that the place wherein 
the Law of God is studied and discussed is honoured 
with the Divine Presence, we are therefore com- 
manded to keep, preserve, and transmit to our suc- 
cessors, the various opinions of the learned judges 
and their whole debate, as well as the decision of the 
pTrOD, and is thus translated") tPK hn DWyh miD&n 
*]"nv and thou shalt preserve it as if it was proper to 
do, according to all the various instructions ; v which is 
supported by the following record in the Talmud — 

the words of both the contending parties viz. the 
academy of ^ft£% and that of ?^H, must be re- 
garded as the words of God, notwithstanding that 
the decision is according to the opinion of one. 
" "ITTP I^K mini! ^ hy, according to the sentence 
of the law which they shall teach thee/' 



THE FAITH 0E ISRAEL. 101 

The above commentator explains this sentence, 
that the decision of the ^"TP?3D Sanhedrin, must not 
be arbitrary, but they must show that their deci- 
sion is founded and supported by the Law of God. 
It is to be observed, in support of the above 
commentator, that if the above two sentences are 
explained as in the English Bible, it would represent 
to our mind a threefold and useless repetition of 
one and the same sense.— " nt^K 12in ]D TIDn $h 
hxftW ]^ "\h 1T^ thou shalt not decline from 
the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right 
hand nor to the left." " ^Sm The man that will do 
presumptuously and will not hearken unto the priest, 
that standeth to minister there, before the Lord thy 
God, or unto the judge (but protests against and 
treats their decision with contempt), even that man 
shall die, and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel ;" 
that the execution of that man was deferred to the 
time of the first festival, when all Israel was ordered 
to appear in the Holy Temple before the Lord, 
we infer from the following verse — ltfftg^ D#H ^Ol " 
Tltf |1TP N 1 ?! 1KT1 and all the people shall hear 
and fear and do no more presumptuously." 

Observe, we find that when certain men of 
Israel addressed Moses and Aaron in the following 
words:— "We are defiled by the dead body of a 
man ; wherefore are we kept back that we may not 
offer an offering of the Lord (the paschal lamb) in 
his appointed season among the children of Israel ?" 



102 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

Moses replied to them' "71 frttP HO HJJJD&W VTDlf 
stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will com- 
mand concerning you." (Num. ix. 7, 8.) Likewise 
when the daughters of Zelophehad enquired of Moses 
u Why should the name of our father be done away 
from among his family because he has no son ? Give 
unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of 
our father. "— we find ' 0/ H *V*h ]CDM>DfiK TMD Xlp^l 
that Moses brought their cause before the Lord." 
(Numb, xxvii. 4, 5.) It might be therefore supposed 
that this should be continued after the death of 
Moses to have causes or any other points of Law de- 
cided by a communication of God through prophets, 
which might procure an opportunity for false prophets 
to derogate or change our Divine Law. We are there- 
fore absolutely commanded— D^H D^PDH h& nWl" 
CODWH £fti thou shalt come unto the priests, the 
Levites, (generally members of the sublime council the 
Sanhedrin) or unto the judge (the president of that coun- 
cil) who will determine all these difficult points by their 
great knowledge in the law, and that, minn ij hjj 
by the words of the Divine Law, consequently, the 
prophet that happens to be a member of the grand 
Sanhedrin, may declare his opinion by virtue of his 
knowledge in the law, but if his opinion is given as 
a direct communication from God, he is to be tried as 
a false prophet and accordingly punished with death. 
Reader, as the Divine authority granted by the 
Holy One of Israel to the supreme council, the 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 103 

pniHJDj to decide all matters too hard in judgment, 
and their decision*was mini"! ^2 7JJ to be proved and 
shewn directly in the Divine Written Law, which was 
concealed from many learned judges; and by what? 
by the assistance of the Divine Oral Law and its 
divine J1HD rules, and the command of God, not to 
decline to the right hand or to the left from their 
words and decision ; the punishment of death was 
inflicted on the rnDD ]pt learned judge who pro- 
tested against their authority and decision ; and all 
these, plainly recorded in our Written Law, will 
fully establish the Divine authority of the Oral Law 
as equal to the Written Law ; and I am therefore 
induced to think that whoever disbelieves the Divine 
authority of the Oral Law, has never read the Written 
Law. 

Our Divine Oral Law, which is now recorded, as 
already stated, comprises HjU/D "HID i"HW the six 
grand volumes of the Mishna ; to which was added 
the following works KriSDirn "H5D1 K1E1D Kn^"13 to 
show the origin of the Mishna, and to explain; it the 
^23 TD^TI the Babylonian Talmud, compiled by 
Raviny and Rav Ashy, four hundred years after the 
destruction of the Second Holy Temple, also the 
U^&HT ~nohr\ Jerusalem Talmud, compiled by 
Rabbi Johanan, one hundred years before the compila- 
tion of the Babylonian Talmud : by virtue of these 
specified, sacred, and inviolable works, which in reality 
are no more than the true explanation, elucidation, and 



104 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

sense of the Divine Written Law, our religious and 
moral conduct towards God and man is regulated, the 
performance or practice of our six hundred and thir- 
teen precepts, whether articles of faith, ceremonial, or 
ritual, in all times, conditions, and circumstances, are 
fixed and established ; and all our laws, civil, criminal, 
matrimonial, and martial, &c. are determined and de- 
cided. As it is but men of erudition, and well versed in 
the Talmud, after a long and steady practice, that know 
the worth and virtue of that work, and are able to draw 
the distilled waters from that fountain of wisdom, we 
have been therefore accommodated by our learned 
rabbies with a great number of abstracts from the 
Talmud; as the celebrated work, infour volumes, called 
" D'HICO Pljn")K the four rows, a name borrowed from 
Scripture (the four rows of precious stones in the 
breast-plate), and "a2U"\nh Hptnn T the Mighty 
Hand of Maimonides," divided into fourteen books or 
divisions, corresponding with the number of the word 
T hand,&c. &c; we were also favoured with the ce- 
lebrated works written by some of our Talmudists, 
called D^ttmo or mn^DD Mechiltuth or Medrashim, 
a commentary on our Divine Law, filled with wisdom, 
and illustrated with parables and allegorical writings ; 
and since, with many works of our ancient and 
modern divine philosophers and learned rabbies, too 
numerous to be specified. We are also in possession of 
many works containing the secrets of the law: as, 
the "TfflT Sohar (lustre), written by "wrtV p ]1tfDtt> *2l 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 105 

Rabbi Simon the son of Jochi, during many years 
living in a cave separated from mankind, likewise 
what we call the writings of Rabbi Isaac Luria. All 
these secrets of the law are called "H JVttfl " the Law 
of the Lord ;" in distinction of the revealed sense of the 
law which is then called DTK!"! mm "the Law of 
Man," agreeably to the words of the inspired psalmist, 

D^ton THm ♦dwi nyjn -fin xb im wim ntPK 
"n rmra dk ^ ♦nan k^> ew$ aannm : tdj? n 1 ? 
^ Vim vjd r»m : nWi dbv mrr lrmrai lxssn 

: m^ rw "i^k 

" Blessed is the man that walketh not in the coun- 
sel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of the sin- 
ners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful ; but his 
delight or desire is in the law of the Lord (alluding 
to the secrets of the law). And in his law (the re- 
vealed sense of the law) doth he meditate day and 
night. And he shall be as a tree planted by the rivers 
of water, that gives his fruit in his season ; his leaf 
also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall 
prosper. (Psal. i. 1. 2. 3.) 



15 



rvzrib D^bb^i ■ ump >srD:n minn snipn manna -nm in 
: i wbn nnbsnbi / H-ipan 



THE THIRD TREATISE. 

Containing Instructions respecting the proper Disposition of 

Man's Mind and his Inclination previous to his reading and 

meditating on the Divine Law, and other Scripture, with 

some indispensable preparatory Rules, in order to his 

reading with Success, 

To discover the true sense of Holy Scripture, and 
reap that for which it was intended, requires KJipD 
fc^DtSn " the assistance of God,'' which is granted 
according to the merit of the reader. 

We are instructed by the wise and learned Talmud- 
ists in the following moral truth— pjPDD ino^ N3PT 
lh prima ^nch KZim * ifr he that is inclined to be 
pure from guilt is assisted; but he that is inclined to 
be polluted with guilt, is left to his own free-will. 
Beware, therefore, of reading the sacred words of 
God with a sinister or improper view, but let your 
meditation be preceded by earnestly imploring the 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 107 

assistance of God in the following words — 

t* Grant us light in thy law, and attach our hearts to 
thy commandments,' ' 

If there appear to you any inconsistency in the 
sacred words of God, let not your arrogance precipi- 
tate you into passing censure, but let your humility 
and modesty produce the contrary effect, considering 
that you are not wiser than your predecessors, nor 
can it be supposed that the words of God are less 
perfect than you are ; you will then attribute the 
supposed contrariety to your defective sight and com- 
prehension, and wait till you are more fitted to 
discover the true sense of the sacred words of God. 

Be not anxious to penetrate into the secrets of the 
law or into matters above your capacity ; follow the 
example of the inspired king, who solemnly declared 
in the following words — 

m^vumrofo ah *wy ran r¥i **oh fraa xh "n" 

" Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, 
neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in 
things too high for me" (Ps. cxxxi. 1), but let all 
your study and meditation be directed to one point, 
viz. to discover the true sense of the Divine Law, in 
order to perform all the commandments of God 
according to his holy will, and to find favour and 
good understanding in the sight of God and man. 
Let neither your curiosity excite you to make vain 



108 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

enquiries in the historical part of the law : namely, why 
is the name or age of such and such a person omit- 
ted ? or why is this or that not inserted ? (the habit of 
some readers) ; for this kind of inquiry is improper and 
repugnant to the exalted dignity of the Divine Law. 
These historical records have been placed by the in- 
finite wisdom of God in his Holy Law, to serve us as 
examples for our information and improvement ; con- 
sequently, if the object of your inquiry could have 
contributed towards our improvement, it would 
undoubtedly not have been omitted. 

When we reflect that the sacred code, the volume 
of Divine inspiration, containing the will of the Most 
High, was conveyed to man through the medium of 
the Hebrew language ; and that its characters were 
formed by God himself, on the tablets of stone de- 
livered on mount Sinai, we are induced to come to 
the following absolute conclusion, that the Divine Law, 
when translated, even in the most correct and elegant 
manner, is liable to lose most of its original grace, 
sublime sense, and all its peculiar virtue and advan- 
tages, and resembles a monarch divested of his 
splendour, and stripped of every appendage of royalty. 
Every man of sound penetration, and especially every 
rational Israelite, must then be firmly convinced of 
the truth of the above observation, and be fully aware 
of the peculiar advantages that will result from the 
study and knowledge of the sacred language. In 
support of the above observation, I shall place before 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. ] 09 

you a number of sentences in our Divine Law, which, 
in the Hebrew, are full of intelligence, but when 
translated, are stripped of all sense ; viz. 

<' * ^n hi Da nrvn wn *d * mn int&w m man ahj^r 

"And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because 
she was the mother of all living." (Gen. iii. 20.) 

In the English text we are supplied, in this verse, 
with a reason why he called his wife's name Eve ; and 
yet that reason is not sufficient ; whereas, in the 
Hebrew text, the reason is plain, i. e. the word iTn 
hay a, is life ; and as she was the mother of all living, 
she was called mn hava, where the ^ vau is 
substituted for the ^ yod (a grammatical rule), in order 
to distinguish her name from the name JTn haya, 
which, in the Hebrew, is beast. Again, 

" : pp jnn o hnn 

" And she bare a son, and called his name Seth ; for 
God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, 
whom Cain slew. " — The English version of this pas- 
sage is also unintelligible ; but in the Hebrew we are 
supplied with two satisfactory reasons: first, his 
name was called Y\W Seth, from the root pftW 
shouth, i. e. he put, or appointed, as in the English. 
To this plain reason, may be added a more satisfactory 
one; viz. the root FiW shouth, signifies ?>1sq founda- 
tion; and he was therefore called fw Seth, UDft "O 
OvHtfn ntiHn for from him the world was founded; by 
which we are instructed at the same time, that Adam 




110 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

had already the foreknowledge of the annihilation of 
the seed of Cain in the flood, when only Noah with his 
sons, the descendants of Seth, remained. You may 
find in the law, innumerable sentences of this de- 
scription. — I shall now introduce a verse which will 
prove at once the deficiency of the translation, and 
the loss of valuable information occasioned by not 
knowing the Hebrew — 

" : na? nnp5 t^so ■o ♦ naw *np^ nst*? 

" And Adam said (when God introduced his wife unto 
him) this is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my 
flesh : she shall be called woman, because she was 
taken out of man." (Gen. ii. 23.) 

Here the words, D#DH Htff this time, or as in 
the English, now which bears the same sense, might 
induce the reader to think that this was the second wife 
that was brought to him ; and our celebrated com- 
mentator >lfin Rashy, explains the words, this time, 
as an expression of satisfaction, having seen all other 
animals paired and himself single ; and therefore 
when the woman was brought to him, he exclaimed, 
" DJ7DPI JINt this time I am content." I shall show 
you now how the power of the Hebrew rises 
superior to every other language, and defies com- 
parison. 

The radical word D#£ poam, which signifies this 
time-has also another signification, which is beating, 
that is palpitating, like a pulse, and therefore a 
bell, from its vibrations, is called in Hebrew JIDJ/D 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. Ill 

pangmon, from the root ZVSpoam; and the sentence may 
be construed in the following sense, that when this 
stranger was introduced to Adam, he (feeling himself 
sympathetically excited) exclaimed "DJ/SPl Tltfi there 
is a beating or palpitation which I never felt before ; 
and by that feeling I judge that this is bone of my 
bones, and flesh of my flesh : she shall therefore bear 
my name, and be called n&>& ishah, with the n he, 
feminine, from my name, &"K ish. v In support of 
the last sense we find it related of Pharoah, in the 
book of Genesis MVT\ DJ/DJIffi his spirit palpitated, 
which is translated in English, his spirit was troubled. 

After you have been informed, in this treatise, of 
the preparatory rules tending to the reading and 
meditating on the Divine Law with good success, it 
remains still to instruct you in the nature and 
virtue of the four sublime qualities of our Divine 
Law, as far as the space of this work will permit. 

Our sages have chosen the word tD7~\% pardas, 
(orchard) to mark, by the four letters, the four sublime 
qualities of the Divine Law: they are, — iDWD the 
plain intrinsic sense of the words of the law; Tft"n 
intimations by words, letters, and other marks in 
the law; WYH the sense discovered by a critical 
investigation of the law; *PD the secrets of the law. 

I shall place before you the first verse in the 
Divine Law, by which you will be informed of the 
nature and virtue of the'. four specified sublime 
qualities : — 



112 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

"pan n*o &mn na d^k iha rp&wa 

D WD the plain sense, is the general sense of the 
verse without investigating the words of the verse 
separately, and means no more than " in the begin- 
ning God created the heaven and the earth." 

The virtue of the WTti is to consider and investi- 
gate every word of the verse separately, by which 
valuable information is obtained. 

On the above verse is made the follQwing obser- 
vations ; first, the word JTrifiPRiD (p*\7j>7 36 h]J 
agreeably to the Hebrew grammar) would be preferable 
to the word JV&WQ ; by which criticism we discover 
that the word n^N"13 intimates the motive or design 
of the creation : viz. the world was created, because 
of Israel and the law — i"P t£WI the Law ("Dil JVfcW) 
the first way ordered by God), and ^"W Israel 
(nntf'nn n^KI the first fruit of his increase); 
and J—PBWD became, therefore, preferable to 
the word nriBWQ. The word *ni is prefer- 
able to the word ilWJJ, because it implies UP 
Y*XD that the world was created out of nothing by 
the words of God. In the inquiry Why the hw Dfi^ 
JQ"IK the four- lettered ineffable name of God is 
not put in the first verse of the Divine Law, pre- 
ferably to the word DM*7tf 1 we are led to discover 
that the world should have been created to be go- 
verned by pin JTTQ the attribute of justice only ; and 
this is conveyed to our idea by the name DVJ7K, 
which is pjH TMD the judge; but as the nature of 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 113 

man is frail, and by the instability of his mind liable to 
error and sin ; he could not stand by the attribute of 
justice alone : the world was therefore established to 
be ruled by the two grand attributes, Justice and 
Mercy, as expressed in the following verse : 

"n nwv DTa * wnana riam &Dtvn nnhn nhx 

These are the generations of the heavens and of the 
earth, when they were created, in the day that the 
Lord God made the earth and the heavens (Gen. ii. 
4) ; for the ineffable name "H (in the English Lord) 
according as it is written, implies I7\T1 fl'in iTH he 
has been, he is, and he will be, signifying eternal, and is 
expressive of the attribute of mercy, which, as a Cre- 
ator, Father, and Preserver of his creation, he exercises 
compassion and lenity towards man ; but DV778 God, 
signifying the power of God manifested in his works, 
is expressive of his justice; and when this word is 
applied to man, it also signifies a judge, as we find in 
Exodus, xxi. 6. T)D the secrets of the Law ; and for 
the knowledge of these secrets, King David implored 
God ardently, in the following words : "DD^I WJt hi 
*prmriD mK^23 Open thou mine eyes, that I may 
behold wondrous things out of thy Law'* (Ps. cxix. 18). 



16 






THE FOURTH TREATISE. 

On the Seven Precepts commanded to the Sons of Noah. 

After the universal deluge, God established his 
covenant with Noah, his sons, and their seed after 
them ; that the waters should no more become a 
flood to destroy all flesh. He blessed them at the same 
time, and commanded them to be fruitful, multiply and 
replenish the earth, and promised that the fear and 
dread of them should be upon every beast of the 
earth, every fowl of the air, and all the fishes of the 
sea; and he permitted them, for the first time, to 
feed upon animal flesh, as we find it recorded. "Every 
moving being that liveth shall be meat for you ; even 
as the green herb (the appointed food for Adam) have 
I given you all things." (Gen. ix. 3.) 

I shall not omit here a remark for your improve- 
ment, — that the dominion of man over all beasts and 
living creatures that move upon earth, was already 
included in the blessing of God to Adam, and^was now, 
in the covenant made with the seed of Noah, repeated 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 115 

for the following reason. Man's ruling over, and power 
of subduing, all beasts, is effected by the awful aspect 
of his countenance. The animal is terrified at that 
which is visible, — the true mark of that inward virtue, 
which is invisible. It is but the soul and reason of 
man that renders him superior to all other animals, 
according to the true sense of the word " D\"f7K Ui)S2 "O 
h^U/nh \*2nh : DTKH n« n&V he made man in the 
image of God ;" meaning that he endowed him with 
sense and reason. 

The atrocious conduct, and vicious actions of those 
generations, which were at last exterminated by the 
universal deluge, deprived them of their invisible 
virtue, and reduced them to the level of the savage 
and brute creation. Their external dignity and aw- 
ful impression became then debased, and speedily 
vanished ; and they fell consequently a prey to fero- 
cious beasts. This lost superiority of man over 
the brute creation was now restored 5 and it is, there- 
fore, repeated in the Divine covenant made with 
Noah and his descendants. The following verse 
cannot be otherwise construed than in the very same 
sense ; When Cain was reproached by God with 
the murder of his brother, and cursed to be a fugitive 
and a vagabond upon earth : he exclaimed, " my 
punishment is greater than I can bear !" " Behold 
thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the 
earth, and from thy face shall I be hid ; and I shall 
be a fugitive and a vagabond upon earth, and it shall 



116 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall 
slay me." (Gen. iv. 13, 14.) 

It is evident, as at that time, only his father, mo- 
ther, and wife, existed with him, that the fear of being 
slain must be relative to ferocious beasts. Cain was 
conscious of the loss of his internal virtue and supe- 
riority, by his wicked and criminal conduct towards 
his brother, and perceived likewise, by the sudden 
fear that seized him, that his majestic countenance 
and awful aspect must have disappeared ; and he be- 
came, therefore, filled with terror of being devoured 
by ferocious beasts. 

The sense of the verse " V2Z 1^1 TKD yph nm 
that Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell," 
(Gen. iv. 5.) is plain and clear, and intimates that 
when Cain was wroth and murmured against God, 
both his internal virtue and external air were debased 
and diminished ; but after his confession and contri- 
tion, the merciful God mitigated and delayed his 
punishment, and restored to him the commanding 
aspect of his countenance as before, which is plainly 
expressed by the words " ni^ Ti W? IVUS pp^> TlDB^l 
IRlfiQ bj imK and the Lord set a mark upon Cain, 
lest any finding him should kill him." (Gen, iv. 15.) 

At this dispensation, the r\2 *23 sons of Noah (a 
name including all nations) were, by the infinite 
wisdom of God, provided with m¥D #3^ seven pre- 
cepts sufficient for their social organization, and for 
directing their individual conduct to the attainment 



THE tAITH OF ISRAEL. 117 

of a future state of bliss and prosperity. They are 
1st, not to blaspheme or profane the holy name of 
God , 2nd, to t beware of idolatry ; 3rd, not to commit 
murder ; 4th, not to commit adultery ; 5th, not to 
steal; 6th, not to eat TIP! ID "OK the flesh or the 
blood of any beast or cattle, with the life thereof; 
7th, to establish their own laws, and appoint judges 
to execute them. 

These seven precepts are seven grand rules ; and, 
when profoundly considered, will prove to contain a 
great portion of the six hundred and thirteen precepts 
of the peculiar Law of God ; namely, not to profane 
the name of God, includes to fear him, to obey his 
commandments, and to imitate his attributes : to be- 
ware of idolatry, is to withhold themselves from all 
abominations practised by idolaters : not to shed 
man's blood, comprises, undoubtedly, not to cause 
man's death, or ruin his health by wounding him, or 
putting him in fear of his life ; not to imprison him un- 
lawfully, or publicly affront him, by which his life may 
be shortened : not to commit adultery, comprehends 
fornication and all unnatural and incestuous con- 
nexions : not to steal, includes not to cheat or de- 
fraud, or to obtain other men's property by illegal 
means ; not to eat the flesh or the blood with the life 
therein, is to keep from greediness, cruelty, and bru- 
tality : and to establish their own Law, is founded 
upon the above precepts ; to administer justice and 
judges to enforce it. 



118 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

The Hebrew word "0 in English, a stranger or so- 
journer, is from the G&HtP root, TO to sojourn, and is 
likewise applicable to a proselyte, who is a stranger 
of another nation. There are two sorts of proselytes, 
one is called p"T¥ 12 a proselyte of the covenant, 
who is circumcised, and submits to the whole Law of 
Israel ; and the other one, who adheres to the seven 
specified precepts, is called 3EHH 1J) 5 a proselyte of 
the gate, for he was permitted and tolerated to live in 
the Holy Land; but the word 'HSj of the root"D2, in 
English an alien, is applicable to an idolater, who is 
called VDJ \D>£Jt8^ W# D 1D2rO&> a stranger in his 
worship. 

Liberality to all mankind" is inculcated very fre- 
quently in our holy Law, as we find : 

rarmi : in** uin xh *DDVi»n nj ins -\w "or 
Dn^p p»a on^n on: "o ♦ tied ^ 

* c And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye 
shall not vex him. And thou shalt love him as thy- 
self ; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." 
(Leviticus, xix. 33, 34.) Nay, we are ordered even 
to support him, as 

♦ ntesi v:nn -pjjtto t»« ah iSoan k 1 ? n^± te 

Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself : thou 
shall give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates (the 
proselyte of the gate), that he may eat it, or sell it unto 
the stranger (idolater, Deut, xiv. 21.) The spirit of 
that verse is, that we should prefer to give it to the 



THE* FAITH OF ISRAEL 119 

proselyte of the gate as a present, rather than to sell 
it to the idolater. We are also strictly commanded 

*im»a mn n^ "o *niflo atfnn xh thou shait not 

abhor an Egyptian, for thou wast a sojourner in his 
land.'' (Deut. xxiii. 7.) If we are enjoined to be 
libera], even to those who afflicted us, how grateful 
ought we then to be to those enlightened nations, 
by whose moral principles and philanthropic feeling, 
we rest secure from oppression, and enjoy the free 
exercise of our worship and religion ? Let us pray, 
then, fervently to the God of Israel for their peace 
and prosperity ; for in their peace we shall find peace : 
for a day will come when all dissensions will cease, 
when the troubled wdTid will be calmed to peace, 
when all nations will invite us to conduct them to the 
House of God, according to the words of the prophet : 

Dnnn^^-in' , nn^-)H.T.T \^:^^n rmrusnrmr 

rvai h& Ti in hx nhjm -a? viem -d^d d^j; 
n«ro 'o •rnmsa rohi l^ma imvi 'npm vtf>K 
d^j.i rra coa&n id^yto ti -am mm Kvn 
Drprnmam dtu^ ornmn innrn Dai &nph rroirn 
"nunis^ xh nnn ■»•« fo ^u 8Bn »Vi ^nn.or^ 
"rn man nrtoi i^ npjp nu : TOnta 

" And it shall come to pass, in the last days, that the 
mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in 
the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above 
the hills : and all nations shall flow unto it And 



120 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

many people shall go, and say, ' Come ye, and let us 
go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of 
the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, 
and we will walk in his path : for out of Zion shall 
go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from 
Jerusalem : and he shall judge among the nations, 
and shall rebuke many people ; and they shall beat 
their swords into plough- shares, and their spears into 
pruning-hooks : nation shall not lift up sword against 
nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O 
house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light 
of the Lord." (Isaiah, ii. 2. 5.) 



THE SECOND PART. 



D^n yn 

THE WAY OF ETERNAL LFFE. 

INTRODUCTION. 

After having treated in the first part, of the essence 
and theory of our Divine Law ; and proved that both 
Ha hv^U/ mini nrOZKP mm the Written and the 
Oral Law, are of Divine authority, I shall now treat, in 
this Second Part, (called D"il "pi the Way to Eternal 

Life) ncfpon rial m id^ ">&>tt jim na mmn^ 

]WJP "1&>8 of the practical part of our divine pre- 
cepts contained in that Law. 

Our Divine Law contains JY!¥ ft JPHfi six hundred 
and thirteen precepts, r\W$ m¥D T\"12T\ two hundred 
and forty-eight affirmatives, and nwpn $h m^/D iTW 
three hundred and sixty-five negatives. 

Numerous are the pan JYTI^nn mtf/2 precepts 
to be observed only in the Holy Land : as the tithes 
to the Levites, to the poor, offerings to the priests, 
and various other gifts, &c. &c. 

The following are still more numerous, as 

precepts concerning the holy Temple, laws of sacri- 

17 



122 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, 

fices, commandments to the priests and Levites, and 
the laws of defilement and purification. The above 
laws (with the exception of a few) cannot be per- 
formed in our present condition and local situation 
r\WW Wl maiDD yPl &W1 OT Matrimonial, ci- 
vil, and criminal laws &c, are not in the sphere 
of an individual ; they are assigned to our presiding 
Rabbies and their pi TV2 elders, whose province it 
is to decide, arrange, and cause them to be executed. 
I shall, therefore, treat only of such precepts as are 
$12% nnn incumbent on the individual, and depend- 
ing on the person only. 

This part of the work will be divided into ten parts 
or sections, in imitation of the system adopted by the 
great luminary and celebrated Rabbi, the author of 
the famous work, called " m-QD mmi> W The 
Two Tables of the Covenant :" in which the precepts 
are divided into ten sections, called mrDDD volumes, 
distinguished by names appropriated to the ten dif- 
ferent times in the year ; and which will be called in 
this work rVDyJl Laws, as the following : 
hmn n*\W XVllhn The Laws of the Working or 

Week-days. 
na^ n^hn The Laws of the Sabbath. 
HDD JTlDVfJ The Laws of the Feast of the Passover. 
mmn&> JTD^n The Laws of the Feast of the Weeks, 
the day when the Ten Commandments were deli- 
vered on mount Sinai. 
JVafffl m^n The Laws of the Fast Days. 



THE FAITH OK ISRAEL. J 23 

niwn ty*0 rVD^n The Laws of the Feast of the 
the New Year. 

D*T)syon DV mD^n The Laws of the Day of Atone- 
ment. 

mmD mr^H The Laws of the Feast of Tabernacles. 

roisn mD?n The Laws of the Days of Dedication, 
in which will be included tlh^D m^Sl the Laws 
of prayers according to the system of the author of 
the "H "h "V the Two Tables of the Covenant. 

D'HID ITD^n The Laws of the Days of Poureem, the 
days of the miraculous escape of the Israelites from 
total annihilation and general massacre, as intended 
by Haman; this will also contain npl¥ JYD^n 
the Laws of Charity, by which means every indi- 
vidual will be instructed of the precepts, called 
N1DJ nnn, depending on the person only, from 
the beginning of the year to the end thereof; and 
which will be illustrated with the mittS! '■JRPtt 
motive or design of these precepts, as much as the 
space of this small work shall permit. 



Sinn rw mafoi 

The Laws of the Working or Week Days. 

As soon as you awake in the morning, render thanks 
to the Omnipotent God, in the following words : 



124 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

♦ inniDK nm * ntanzi 

" I acknowledge and render thanks unto thee, O Eter- 
nal King! for having by compassion restored my 
soul into me : how great is my trust in thee !" 

As in this acknowledgment, is neither the ineffable 
nor any dignified name of the Eternal God inserted : 
you are permitted to say it before washing your 
hands. 

VT btfftHin rrn TQJH 1 ? in order to remove unclean- 
ness from your hands, caused by sleep, you must 
pour water, with a sound vessel, first upon your right 
hand, and then upon the left, and so three times al- 
ternately. 

In this HD11 blessing, our sages found the words 
D^T r\h^2 hv (to wash the hands) preferable to 
the words nVTH 7JJ (to wash) ; because, as the word 
K^£03. is, in Rabbinical Hebrew, a vessel, it expresses 
likewise to wash the hands by pouring out of a vessel ; 
but not to dip or rinse them in the water, if possible 
to be avoided. Be careful to have the water covered 
near to your bed, to prevent you from going four 
yards without having your hands purified. 

D\2fc> mibo hty Vhjl blph you are then to acknow- 
ledge the sovereignty of the omnipotent God, to declare 
that the Eternal God is one, and to Him alone worship 
is due ; to subject your body, your soul, your wealth, 
under his dominion and providence; and to resign 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. J 25 

your will to His holy will, and to the dictates of His 
sacred unalterable law. 

itrafoi isn:i "vw-nr 'd^p mate hw thg h2ph 

snp^vp^an n^rnw ^ n^con ^j/rpi 'o^pa 

W&*w #£^ nanp 

The above duty must be discharged in the follow- 
ing manner ; first, be cautious that your body and 
your garments are clean, then cover yourselves with 
a rP^ED mantle or shawl, of the memorial fringes, put 
on your ]^ar\ phylacteries (proceed as in your Prayer- 
book), and read the portion of " hlXlW* S$& Hear, 

Israel," with devotion ; and then the prayer of 
Wra tVWS TO1DB> the eighteen blessings, as estab- 
lished by the Pl^Tin r\D3D M learned men of the 
great congregation. 

rnVDH ^DJltD Illustration of the above precepts. 

After we were exalted above all nations, by the 
divine declaration, " DD^ VY*m CjpW DDHK yinpjn 
DYl^K^ and I will take you to me for a people, and 

1 will be to you a God:" (Ex. viii. 7.) the God of 
Israel condescended to draw that connexion still 
nearer to him, by the ties of a matrimonial expres- 
sion, as we find, 

noni) coat^Dm p-nn **? Trunin • xshyfo "h tiwwi 
"n n« njrTi * rmcia ^ tvwiki * doth 

And I will betroth thee unto me for ever ; yea, I will 
betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judg- 
ment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies. I will 



126 THE FAITH OF JSKAEL. 

even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness ; and thou 
shalt know the Lord." (Hosea, ii. 19, 20.) We find 
also, that Israel shall say, when finding out his error 
and repenting, 

I will go and return to my first husband ; for then 
was it better with me than now." (Hosea, ii. 7.) 

The portion called " y?2W iWlp the reading of 
Shemang," composed of three parts, from the selected 
chapters of the Divine Law, and incumbent upon 
every Israelite to read with great devotion morning 
and evening, bears a similitude to a matrimonial con- 
tract, containing the reciprocal engagements of a 
husband and his wife. 

The first part expresses, in a most energetic style, 
the submission of an Israelite to his God, and obedi- 
ence to his Law ; it begins with the first essential or 
principle of our faith ; namely, " WnVfc 71 htinW $12® 
7ilK "H comprehend, O, Israel, that the Lord our 
God is one." When the name ^K")B^ Israel is traced 
whence it originated, viz. from our father Jacob, who 
received that name as a testimony of having wrestled 
with an angel and prevailed ; it will remind us, that 
we are not under the control of any celestial agent ; 
but directly under the immediate protection of that 
sole cause, the great God, and Creator of heaven and 
earth, who alone is entitled to our worship and adora- 
tion. The above verse is also expressive of the fol- 
lowing important and metaphysical truth ; that the 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 127 

two attributes, justice and mercy (whereby punish- 
ments and rewards are effected), implied by the two 
great and dignified names '"JJVI^jfc "H the Lord our 
God," are not produced by any change in the essence 
or nature of God : they emanate from one source in 
God ; but their mutable operations derive their ex- 
istence from man, who, by his free agency, can 
draw down the influence of those attributes in dif- 
ferent directions, according to his merit and demerit. 
We are exhorted in the next verse, " to love the 
Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, 
and with all our might ;" it indicates that we are to 
love and revere the Supreme Being, again termed 
" -pn^K 71 the Lord thy God," whether he mani- 
fests himself in the administration of justice, or in the 
exercise of mercy. The word " "p3^ b^2 with 
all thy heart," indicates the rational and sensual 
inclinations, implying that our attention should also 
be directed to God, in all our domestic concerns ; 
conjugal love, gathering wealth, and all our recreations 
should be D^Ettf UVfh that they may afford us oppor- 
tunities whereby we may shew our love for the Al- 
mighty God ; by acting in all, and with all, accord- 
ing to His holy will ; " l^M ^231 and with all thy 
soul," the Hebrew word £>D2 indicates also life, com- 
manding us even to sacrifice our lives for the glory of 
God; " -pKft hlS) and with all thy might" (ex- 
presses likewise wealth) ; this is an emphatic exhorta- 
tion to those who place their chief estimation in 



128 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

worldly treasures, and value their money more than 
their lives. 

We are then enjoined to have these words "engraven 
on the tablets of our heart, to teach them to our chil- 
dren, to speak of them when sitting in our house, 
and when walking in the way ; " meaning to diffuse 
his Almighty name in every circle, and at every op- 
portunity ; even when we lie down, we should reflect 
and examine whether our actions of the past day 
were concordant to his will and decrees ; and in 
rising up we should also prepare ourselves to regu- 
late our conduct by the dictates of our holy Law. 
Drn^pl "and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon 
thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between 
thine eyes, and thou shalt write them upon the posts 
of thy house, and on thy gates." (Deut. vi. 4 — 9.) 

The second part contains the conditional promise 
of the God of Israel to provide for our maintenance, 
namely: " If ye will hearken diligently to my com- 
mandments which I command you this day, to love 
the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your 
heart, and with all your soul, then I will give you the 
rain of your land in due season : the first rain and 
latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, thy 
wine, and thine oil; and I will send grass in thy fields 
for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be satisfied . 
(Deut. xi. 13 — 15.) Thus, you will live comfortable 
and happy in your Holy Land ; your mind free from 
any anxiety ; neither enemy nor any other impedi- 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 129 

ment, to obstruct the worship of your God and the 
fulfilling of his law, and ultimately inherit everlasting 
bliss and eternal salvation. 

But if ye worship other gods, the heavens will be 
shut up, that there be no rain, the land will not yield 
her fruit, and ye shall speedily be driven from the 
good land which the Lord giveth you, &c. (Deut. 
xi. 17 ): this might be supposed to answer a com- 
plete divorce, but thanks to the merciful God who 
hath declared 

"And yet for all that, when they be in the land of 
their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will 
I abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break 
my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their 
God. 5 ' (Leviticus, xxvi. 44.) 

The third part, called JT¥^ nehSJ containing the 
precept of attaching the memorial fringes on the four 
corners of our garments, recalls also to our mind our 
deliverance from Egypt, wrought by the mighty hand 
of God : the duty of every Israelite to remember 
every morning and evening, of all the days of his life ; 
expressed by these words, "lam the Lord your God 
who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your 
God. I am the Lord your God." (Numbers, xv. 41.) 

But in travelling through the tempestuous road of 
life, bewildered in darkness, and surrounded with 
temptations, we might soon be seduced from t i ie path 

18 ' L 



130 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

of virtue into the slippery ways of vice, and forget 
the decrees of God ; he has therefore given us signs 
whereby we may counteract the baneful effects pro- 
duced by ambition, the source of all our woe. 

The eyes are the agents that introduce delusive 
phantoms to the heart, which being agitated with lust 
propels the hand to obtain by influence its desire. 

In order, therefore, to restrain their dangerous ten- 
dency, we are exhorted to bind his words as a sign 
upon our hand, even the left hand (being the nearest 
to the heart), to remind us of the frailty and mutability 
of human power ; and as frontlets between our eyes, 
upon our intellectual storehouses, as a check to our 
boasted wisdom ; also to write them upon the posts of 
our houses, as a barrier to pride, and to draw our at- 
tention to that benevolent Hand from which we de- 
rive all our enjoyments. 

The eyes are agitated by the dress of man, which 
generally distinguishes the rich man from the poor. 
In order, therefore, that our rich, showy, splendid 
coverings should not intoxicate our minds with ambi- 
tion, so much hated and detested by our God, as the 
source of disobedience to his commandments, we are 
ordered to put the TV!P¥ memorial fringes, on the 
four corners of our garments, typically exhorting us 
of our faith and religious duty — the true glory; 
and to divest our minds from idle notions, ostenta- 
tion and vain glory. 

These memorial fringes are formed in the following 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 131 



manner: after being fastened to the corners of the 
garment. The first part is formed in the shape of a 
twisted chain, made by the twisting round it with 
one thread, shaped in the form of four links or parts, 
separated by five knots, one at the beginning of the 
first part, one at the end of the last part, and three 
knots between the four parts of the whole ; this chain 
produces at the end the eight threads or fringes. 

The first part of that chain represents to our 
sight seven circles, or rings, formed by twisting- 
round it; the second part has eight rings, which 
amounts to fifteen, equal to the number of the i yod 
and the n he, the two first letters of the ineffable 
name of God, called jjft-ftfc *ft& D$£>, rerpaypafifiaTov ; the 
third part of eleven rings, marks the other two letters 
of the same number, viz. the 1 vav and P? he, 
of that dignified and ineffable name of God ; and 
the last part, formed of thirteen rings, denotes the 
word TnN, amounting also to thirteen, to remind us 
of the first essential of our faith TpiK ff H the Eternal 
God is One. 

The name of the fringes in Hebrew JV¥ V ** contains 
the number of six hundred; the eight fringes with the 
five knots are thirteen, which amounts together to 
six hundred and thirteen, pointing typically to the six 
hundred and thirteen precepts of our Sacred Law, 
which is most conspicuously expressed by the words 

mvft ^ riK djvdti ina djtkt! * rw*^ mh mm 

dm "nna c^nn^ nrmimnn r$i *DmK Dhwi'vi 

JDimnK D\nr ona -iew 



132 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

" And it shall be unto you for a (memorial) fringe 
that ye may look upon it, and remember all the com- 
mandments of the Lord, and do them; and that 
ye seek not after the inclinations of your heart, and 
the delight of your eyes, in the pursuit of which ye 
have been led astray." (Num. xv. 39.) 

* rrnrw bw jriDty nwip p? 

The time of the reading of the morning Shemang, 
begins when you are enabled to recognise by day- 
light, a man who is but slightly known to you, at a 
distance of four yards, until the fourth part of the day; 
yet, the most proper time is to read it nfiTin \*3H Dtf 
when the sun begins to shine on the top of the moun- 
tains. After the fourth part of the day, when the 
the time of it is already expired, you must [still 
read it as usual ; but the merit of it will be only 
rmro KllpD like one that reads in the Law. 

The time of the reading of evening Shemang, begins 
tyCO'Dil riNV n#Jtf£with the appearance of the stars, 
"initfn TlDtf fl^JW 1JJ and continues during the whole 
night. Remark, that notwithstanding the length of its 
time, it is not lawful after the appearance of the stars, 
to sit down to eat your regular and settled meal, or en- 
gage yourself in any business till you have first fulfilled 
your duty of reading W"p evening Shemang, with the 
evening prayer. Our D^MH sages, as a mif^ TO 
fence to the law, have established the time of the 
reading Shemang mvn *7# till midnight ; consequently 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 133 

he that neglects the reading of it before midnight, is 
guilty (though he must read it till day-light) of 
having violated the fence of the law. 

ilT\2D ]£T. The time of the second or afternoon 
prayer, commences 21$ ^V W2* *2 when the sun 
begins to decline, established at half an hour past 
meridian ; the duration of its time is always fixed by 
our presiding Rabbies according to the seasons of the 
year. 

It is lawful and established in the most part of our 
synagogues to read JVmtf h& W"p the evening She- 
mang, and JV^i? n^DH the evening prayer, imme- 
diately after J1WD T)h^D the second prayer, although 
it is yet day-light. This was established to accommo- 
date such men as could not attend in the night to 
pray with PO, an assembly of ten Israelites ; it is also 
supported by the following reason : — 

rvrru? hw wp pr h^nm nmo r\hsr\ \ot nfewo 

when the time of the second prayer expires, the time 
of evening Shemang with the evening prayer begins : 
it is still proper that these men should read the portion 
of Shemang again in the night. 

It is unlawful to enjoy any thing without rendering 
a blessing to God before and after the enjoyment, to 
remind man that all his endeavours are of no avail 
without the assistance of God, and to prevent him 
from saying HTH Win DK *»b ri®V rp DW VD 
"My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten 
me this wealth."" (Dent. viii. 17. 



134 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

nnm *wi»n roraa d^t n^coaa ikd thi via 

: J1TDH 
Be very cautious of washing your hands and render- 
the blessing before the eating of bread ; and the say- 
ing of grace after; as it is recorded : — 

♦-pr^tf "n na roim roman nteai 

" And thou shalt eat, and be satisfied, and thou shalt 
bless the Lord thy God." The strictness of the 
law requires pTJDH WQ the Saying of grace after the 
eating of bread even if it beTO the size of an olive; 
for even so little as that may satisfy at times. 

To show our gratitude to God for having favored us 
with his holy law, by which we may inherit eternal 
salvation, we are ordered likewise to render a blessing 
to the Lord our God before we perform any of his 
precepts, to thank him for having sanctified us with 
his commandments. But such precepts as are 
precarious, and depending on the will of another, are 
excepted, for the i"D""Q must be made ]rw#^ ~\y\p 
before the performing of them, and if these precepts 
should not be executed, the name of God would have 
been taken in vain; therefore the m¥D precept to 
distribute charity to the poor, must be done without 
a nD"Q blessing, lest the poor might disappear, or 
otherwise refuse to accept the charity; and for the 
very same reason, if a doubt prevails whether the 
blessing was said or not, things may be enjoyed, 
precepts performed without a blessing: and all this to 
avoid the taking the name of God in vain, even in a 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 135 

blessing, consider, O man ! how criminal you stand 
before your God, for having taken his Holy Name 
in vain in your worldly and empty conversations : 
tremble for the fate that may await you, according 
to the divine declaration: — 

* { For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh 
his name in vain." (Ex. xx. 7.) Repent, therefore, 
with a true and sincere sorrow for what you have done, 
that you may be assisted by providence to avoid that 
great crime for ever. 

Let your table be always adorned with a religious 
discourse either of the works of God or of his holy 
law, the salutary food for our soul. Say within 
yourself:— \h*2XT\ HPM1 V/D ^1 WW& niCOH is it 
right that my sensual part rejoice, and my soul be in 
mourning! imitate also your first ancestor, Abraham, 
in his practice of hospitality, to invite, according to 
your means, the poor and stranger to your table, or 
send a portion of your food to the needy. Thus, you 
will render your table similar to the nHt/2 altar, which 
is called "H \3^ IttW }T\hu/n fit this is the table that 
is before the Lord. 

From the language of the sacred text, "H -p-Q"! v^ 
tivyn "IttfK h22 " that the Eternal will bless you in 
all that you perform," you are convinced that ac- 
tivity and industry is required to obtain the Divine 
blessing : have, therefore, a perfect confidence in your 
God, in all your undertakings, with diligence, and 



13G 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, 



good advice: do not neglect what you can with 
integrity and justice possess, but beware to avoid all 
dangerous transactions, illegal gains, and unlawful 
commerce. 

♦ mm nnfti • irrnah * m m hvzh n^n r^n 
: nt^'K nwnft * nh^ n®?z nv& hjc^i 

The duties incumbent upon a father towards his 
son are the following : — to have him circumcised ; to 
redeem him, if he is the firstborn of his wife ; to in- 
struct him in the Sacred Law of God ; to learn him 
a respectable trade ; and to assist him in getting 
married. Our sages have appointed a proper time 
for instructing his son in the various degrees of litera- 
ture and knowledge of our Holy Law. 

p ♦ nwnh otw ~\m p * tfipE 1 ? boa; t^n in 
p * mo^ maw t^n p • rmvh mm uhw 
♦ n*nr\h mm naipp 

At the age of five years he is to study Scripture ; at 
ten, to study the Mishna, the Oral Law ; at the 
age of thirteen, he enters into the duty of observing 
the precepts of the Law ; at fifteen he is to study 
the Talmud ; and at eighteen is the proper time to 
be married. 

Children are blessings granted by Divine favour ; 
they are entrusted to your care and responsibility for 
training them up in the path of virtue for the glory of 
their God and Creator. When the dawn of their 
reason begins to appear, let your first care be to teach 
them obedience, * ' for an obedient mind is ductile and 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 137 

tender : but a stubborn breast takes no impression. " 

i:dd r\:^n^ hdie ea&n 'nm ihi mw? Hr\xi 

"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the 
rod of correction shall drive it far from him." (Prov. 
xxii. 15.) Correct them, therefore, betimes, lest thy 
indulgence be cruel, and evil become habitual. Study 
the temper and capacity of thine offspring, in order 
to model thy reproof and correction in proportion 
thereto ; for, as the young osier groweth as it is bent, 
so is the success of the education of a child in the 
hands of its parents. 

The above is most concisely expressed by the 
Royal Moralist : — 

n:nn tid^ Kb ]yv o dj ♦■dtps by njnh -yon 

" Train up a child in the way he should go ; and when 
he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov. xxii. 6.) 
However your child maybe the darling of your affec- 
tion, beware that extreme fondness in the excess of 
your love do not prevent you from doing your duty. 
The danger of such neglect is testified in holy Scrip- 
ture, which is written for your information and im- 
provement : — 

djt ? nwo n :o jinn nDKb * v&n vn» m# &h 
i DibanN nrttt mb* mxi 'Ikd nan y\s «in 

"And his father (king David) had not displeased him 
(Adonijah) at any time, in saying, why hast thou done 
so ? and he also was a very goodly man : and his 
mother bare him (meaning, educated him) after Ab- 
salom." (1 Kings i. 6.) may that example be im- 

19 



138 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

pressed in your mind, how the neglect of the inspired 
monarch in correcting and reproving the two sons 
(Absalom and Adonijah) of his extreme love and affec- 
tion, caused him sorrow and grief: they turned 
rebellious against their lawful king and father; and 
Absalom, usurping his father's throne, caused the shed- 
ding of blood in Israel, and both died an ignominious 
death. I conclude with the moral instruction of the 
Royal Philosopher : •]&£& DOTjfB ]m 4 *]?W) "pn ID* 
u correct thy son, and he shall give you rest, yea, he 
shall give delight unto thy soul," (Prov. xxix. 17.) 

Let the fear of the Lord, and instruction in his 
Holy Law be the basis of your son's conduct during 
life, and a virtuous race may probably be continued 
from generation to generation, by which will be realised 
the reciprocal glory of the fathers and their children, 
as recorded : — 

" Grandchildren are the crown of their grandfathers, 
and ancestors are the glory of their children." 

The duties of a Son towards his Parents. 
Our Talmudists observe * DTtf 2 UP yZFfiW HE^ 
1D81 VQtfi r\"2yT) three are partners in the formation 
of man : the Holy One, (blessed is he!), and his father 
and mother ; and therefore when the Ten Command- 
ments were divided : viz. the five called ci ^pDh D"ltf i*Q 
duties of man relating to God only," were placed in 
one of the tables of stone ; and the other five, 
"WQr6 DTK yQ duties of man towards his fellow- 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 139 

creature," on the other table. Yet, the commandment 
" Honour thy father and thy mother," was still placed 
in the first table, ranked and united with the com- 
mandments containing the duties to our God and 
Creator; and for the same reason we find, in our 
Sacred Law, that the filial duties to parents are partly 
equal to those to the Creator: viz. 

: iroran fe 

to love the Lord thy God, and to honour the Lord 
with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all 
thine increase; and -pN Tiftl "jUtf T1K *D3 honour 
thy father and thy mother; &TJ1 ynhtt "H HK thou 
shalt fear the Lord thy God ; and iKTn VDK1 1DK B^K 
ye shall fear, every man his father and his mother; 
VH^tf hh^ ^ £"8 W«& whosoever curseth his God 
shall bear his sin, and he that blasphemeth the name 
of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death (Lev. 
xxiv. 15. 16.); and r»OV m& 1/2K1 TQ8 ^pDI and 
he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely 
be put to death (Exod. xxi. 17.) The filial duties 
towards his parents are called fP^DtP TYMfc injunctions 
of reason : for if he consider the great responsibility 
of his parents in the discharge of their parental duties 
towards him, and the trouble and anxiety of mind he 
has caused them, his human reason and natural con- 
science would have taught him, as an actof gratitude, 
most of the filial duties commanded by the law of 
God. The name of a father, in the Sacred Language, 



140 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, 

is 2ft aaVy from the radix rotf aavak, to will, to wish, 
for his parental affection causes hirn to crave, and to 
wish constantly for, the prosperity and happiness of 
his children. It is recorded in the Talmud that one 
of the sages declared that he considered himself happy 
in having lost his lather and mother at a very tender 
age, and that he was consequently exempted from 
the danger of a breach in his duty towards them. 

My son, let all the above observations and instruc- 
tions be treasured up in your bosom, in order that you 
may not forget the fatal consequences of the neglect 
of your filial duty and obedience to your parents. 
Beware that the hand of scorn do not point its finger 
at you, when you become a parent yourself; for then 
the reproach of your own conscience will be more 
keen than the bite of an asp, and more venomous 
than the sting of a scorpion. Attend, therefore, to 
my counsel, and abide by my instruction, " D^py 

ppm pirn ohm Dfrnna tana Difcfc -m^n 

**nn D*""^]/? n?2"p for, in the practice of this holy, 
pleasant and delightful precept, is satisfaction, hap- 
piness, and prosperity on earth ; and its reward is on 
high in the regions of bliss and immortality." 

I shall now place before you an abstract of our 
Law of your filial duty 12) * Dftl 3ft TITO IHPft 
viz. that the commandment " Honour thy father and 
thy mother," consists in maintaining them, and pro- 
viding for all their wants ; and, when they are attacked 
by illness, in dressing and undressing them, in lifting 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 141 

them in and out of bed, if required ; — 

and if you be even reduced to a state of mendicity, you 
are not exempted from the above duties "IDT #~\M2 IHPK 
the precept to fear them, consists, not to sit in their 
place, not to interrupt their discourse, nay, even not to 
speak in their presence without their permission ; and if 
you should find them in the act of violating the Law of 
God, where it is your duty to reprove them, that re- 
proof must be performed without offending them, 
namely, in the following words : " such and such an 
act is a violation of the Law of God ;" and even with- 
out addressing yourself directly to them. 

: d^ n&>nftn laor irtafc ate 

Not to throw away, or ruin your Time in the Seat of 
the Scornful, 

d; • mn wt nrnnai • w\s *:zh iw ^-n w 
: ruin nnnw nnn«i f n 1 ? 3*0^ pinaa 

" There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, 
but the end thereof is the way of death. Even in 
laughter the heart is sorrowful : and the end of that 
mirth is heaviness.'' (Prov. xiv. 12. 13.) 

This is a useful lesson to men, to prevent them from 
frequenting the meeting-places of scorners, where 
religion is ridiculed, virtue despised, and even 
venerable age disregarded and scoffed at. 

The meeting of these scornful persons under the 



142 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

title of merry, witty, and fashionable men, may ap- 
pear to the unwary an innocent pastime, but when 
these fascinating allurements shall gradually have 
extinguished every spark of virtue; that innocent 
pastime will then prove to hinv a demon of de- 
struction ; this is intended by the Royal Moralist in 
the first verse. He continueth (in the second verse) 
to say that the heart of the unwary is conscious of the 
danger; for even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, 
and perceive th that the end of that mirth is heaviness. 
Reflect, therefore, seriously that rotffom ")¥p DVH 
rQTID the life of man is short, and the work that 
he is sent to accomplish is great ; shun, therefore, the 
infection of debauched assemblies ; let not your time 
be spent in frivolous things (nor in visiting irreligious 
assemblies) ; but let your days and nights be dedi- 
cated to more noble objects. 

: rbtff rn±n 

The Law of the Sabbath. 

To rest and to keep the Sabbath holy, is one of 
those three precepts, distinguished from others, to be 
called mJYlK signs or tokens. The first is the 
circumcision : as— 

: DD^ai *W2 rvnrt twxh mm 4 mr\hiB *vvi n« ontai 

" and ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin : 
and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. ]43 

and you." (Gen. xvii. 11.) The precept of the 
binding of the p^DH (Phylacteries) on our hands and 
heads is also called a sign, as — 

rnnn \ynb * ym pn p-p?h • *pT hv rmh i? mm 
: bnvDD g n ^win npm tq "o * *pM «n mm 

" And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine 
hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that 
the Law of the Lord may be in thy mouth ; for with 
a strong hand hath, the Lord brought thee out of 
Egypt." (Ex. xiii. 9.) The precept of keeping holy 
the Sabbath is likewise called a sign, as recorded : — 

ro^n n» riwsh * rntpn nx L - ?*nan \n nba/i 

ton m& * fo-iEn ^n pm "tfa * d^i? jt-o Dnnn 1 ? 

♦par? n»i d^dwh ns* "n r\w$ d^ n&wo * b^utf 

: ^aan map ^awn ovai 

" Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the 
Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their 
generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign be- 
tween me and the children of Israel for ever : for in 
six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, and 
on the seventh clay he rested," (Ex. xxxi. 16, 17.) 

Every Israelite is thus provided with two signs, 
the circumcision and the binding of the Jv^DTI phy- 
lacteries (which were formerly worn the whole day), 
representing figuratively two witnesses of the ever- 
lasting covenant between God and the children of 
Israel. 

The sign of resting and keeping the Sabbath holy, 
as the sign of resting and keeping all feasts of holy 



144 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

convocation, is substituted for that of the ]v^n 
phylacteries, which are therefore not used on the Sab- 
bath and other feast-days of rest as a regard and 
consideration for them. 

It is evident that the Omnipotent God who created 
the universe out of nothing m¥ Kin * ^m 1DK KIP! \D 
T1DJH he said and it existed, he commanded and it 
stood firm, did not want six days, nor even any time 
to create the world, considering that the very time 
itself was created by him, being measured and regu- 
lated by the two great luminaries, the sun and the 
moon ; likewise created and ordered — 

: ^annn pi tikh pa ^nnn^ - n Wm ovn hwnh 

" to rule over the day, and over the night, and to 
divide the light from the darkness.' 9 (Gen, i. 18.) 

It is therefore manifest that the six days of the 
creation, as well as the resting on the Sabbath-day, 
are inconsistent with the nature of the great God and 
first cause. 

All this was done to distinguish the seventh day 
from the six ; and it was recorded as an example to 
imitate the Creator in resting and keeping the Sabbath 
holy. This excellent truth will be found in the in- 
trinsic sense of the above verses containing the ever- 
lasting covenant of the Sabbath. 

Every Hebraist knows that if the letter 3 (beth) 
answering to the preposition in, be prefixed to the 
words D^ Dti/U/ six days, that it would then point to 
the space of time in which any thing may have been 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 145 

performed, as — D^ JWCW "in six days'* ; whereas 
in Ex. xxxi. 16, the letter 2 (beth) the preposition in, 
is omitted, and the words D^D* n&'£> six clays, are in 
the accusative case, meaning that the Lord made the 
six days as well as the heaven and the earth ; and in 
this sense it stands likewise in connection with the 
context in the following manner ; " The children of 
Israel shall keep the Sabbath throughout their 
generations for a perpetual covenant between me 
and between the children of Israel ; it is a sign for 
ever." 

The God who created time could not be in want of 
time, as is expressed by the following words (the six 
days alluding to the time, which the Lord created at 
the same period as the heaven and the earth) : "And' 
on the seventh day he rested,'* which term "resting" 
is likewise inconsistent with the nature of the Deity. 
All this is conclusive, that six days were appointed 
for the creation, in order to distinguish them from 
the seventh, which Israel shall keep holy as a 
memorial of the creation. 

The HWPD ^ n&>£> six working days, which are 
made subservient to Piniabn DT* the day of rest, 
are to remind us to *make rWJFOfl D^1# the werld 
of labour likewise subservient to the PlTTOCfn D^ltf 
the world of rest. Our D\23n sages when speaking 
of the reward in the future world, used the following- 
words rattfl hlW T)2V 21V2 r\l®V ^D "he that 
prepareth on the day before the Sabbath, shall find to 

eat on the Sabbath. 

20 



146 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

Rabbi Eleazer Askenasy, the author of the work 
called "H ntttfJO "The Works of God " observes : we 
find in the Ten Commandments n^H DV nK TDT 
IttHp^ "Remember the Sabbath-day to sanctify it" ; 
but in the Ten Commandments, repeated by Moses, 
it is written: IttHp 1 — ? r\2U/n DV n?< T)D# 
" Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it," on 
which our Talmudists observe : TOID "WBtPI TI3T 
TlEfctt "THK that both terms, to remember, and to 
keep, were spoken by God as one expression. This 
may also be considered as an intimation of the con- 
nexion of the nniJDn OT the day of rest with 
niTDDn D^")# the world of rest, namely, if you re- 
member to sanctify the Sabbath in this world, you 
will inherit the Sabbath in the future world, implied 
by the word TO^ to keep, which bears also the sense 
to wait, or, to lay up in reserve for the future. 

The above is fully corroborated by the psalm sung 
by the Levites in the Holy Temple on the Sabbath 
day : — 
'Kn 1 ? -Pnj6 Ttt> TIJD?& TQPP1 DV^ TP 711DTD 

"A psalm sung for the Sabbath day, a psalm sung for 
futurity, for the day that is wholly Sabbatical, and 
a life of everlasting rest." 

: rat? hy?h 

To so to meet and receive the Sabbath, 
I find it proper to make you attentive to a point 
which is by some neglected. It is the duty of every 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 147 

true Israelite to clean himself, change his dress, 
and be prepared to attend at the Synagogue to meet 
and receive the Sabbath : as expressed in the Can- 
ticles sung in the Synagogue — 

: nziin i<\pn wn ^ rotoi vh r\2& nmph 

" Come on, and let us go to meet the Sabbath, for it 
is the source of the blessing/' 

To honor the Sabbath. 

The Sabbath must be honored and distinguished 
from the working days, in your dress, in the furniture 
of your house, your table decorated according to 
your means, and covered with a clean cloth, also in 
the preparing of your victuals, and in the number of 
your dishes, and the number of your meals, which 
must not be less than MTltfD &*?{& three meals : your 
lights must be increased and call edrnttf h® 13 the light 
of the Sabbath, which when lighted, a T)2r\2 blessing- 
must be made on that precept. It is also proper to 
be distinguished in the quickness of your steps from 
the working-days; and finally that neither your con- 
versation nor even your mind shall be occupied with 
any work, or any speculation of traffic, or business. 

To disengage and clear our thoughts on the Sab- 
bath from all kind of work or business is forcibly 
intimated in the Ten Commandments : — 

W2&n Dvi • -jroKta ba rvwjri TQj/n d^ riaw 

: 7H7K 717 T)2W 
6i Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work : 



148 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

but the seventh day is the Sabbath unto the Lord thy 
God. The word *?2 all, " that he shall do all his work" 
may be well adapted or suitable to an economical 
order, to be diligent, and to do all his work, and not 
part of it ; but in the Ten Commandments the spirit 
of the verse is to distinguish the six days from the 
seventh ; and what difference will it make to the God 
of Israel if all his work is done or part of it ? and, 
consequently, the word 12 all, might be omitted. 
We are induced, therefore, to comprehend that the 
expression v2 to do all his work, is to contrive to dis- 
engage his mind from all work or business, as if all 
his work would have been done for ever, which sense 
stands well connected with the following verse : — 
7>n^K ''fib &2& ^rn&TJ DVV'and the seventh day 
shall be completely devoted to the Lord thy God/' 
to be spent in literary and religious discourses. 

The above is plainly expressed by the prophet 
Isaiah — 

♦ WTp DVd T^n nw# * ^hn nntra awn dk 
wwasfi * iztdd tj rrcp^ * my mu/h nxy) 
w : -on i3n * -|¥Dn ktcdd ♦ "yo"n mwo 
^nfoitfn * v"i** *ztiBEi by yniyvn * "n by xjmn 
: 121 p fa m * fo» npjn r\bm 

" If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from 
doing thy pleasure on my holy day : and call the Sab- 
bath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable ; 
and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor 
finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 149 

words. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; 
and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of 
the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob 
thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken 
it." (Is. lviii. 13. 14.) 

Remark, although it is very proper for man to 
reflect over his conduct, and examine his actions, if 
they are agreeable to the will of God, every day of 
his life ; it is nevertheless unlawful to do so on the 
Sabbath, which would be inconsistent with the word 
" mjl ma^ n^lpl and thou shalt call the Sabbath a 
delightful day," which cannot be better performed 
than in the study of our holy law, as affirmed by 
the psalmist — 

trot^D orian "n Hipp * t?M ruwa nwnn "n mm 
: dtp nnw2 rra "p niwq * ih 

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: 
the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: 
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening 
the eyes." 

Our D^DSn sages infer, from the verse " ntf TDT 
|*fj hj? IITD? * Vtftth MKfl BY 1 remember the sab- 
bath day, to sanctify it, that we shall make the bles- 
sing of the Sabbath with wine," which is called t^VTp 
sanctification. Remark, that it should be not less 
than JVJ/OI a quarter of a pint of wine for sanctifi- 
cation. Where no wine proper for sanctification is 
to be had, sanctification must be made with bread, 



150 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. ' 

from which a portion called Dhr\ chalah must be 
taken, according to law. 

The works forbidden to be done on the Sabbath, 
amount to thirty-nine JYDK^Q fYQ£ chief works; 
they have also their JTHtHJI minor works, which you 
will find specified in "\ p")D J"QtP HDDDD the seventh 
section of the volume of the Sabbath. 

From the commandment VnDPB JIN IIJDt^l and 
they shall keep my keeping, we infer IMfiU/fi MVJJ 
WOMD^ that our D^DDH sages are ordered and 
authorised JTV\nb PD TW&yh to make a fence to the 
law if required. 

They have found it requisite to establish a general 
fence to guard against infringing or violating unwil- 
lingly the laws of the Sabbath ; this general fence is 
called nypiD abhorred or separated, from the tiHGP 
root, pp to abhor, by which we are forbidden to use, 
or even to touch, anyanstruments, tools, candlesticks, 
money, &c. which are used in any interdicted work, 
in order to prevent us from doing, unwillingly, the 
work itself. 

The person that attends your fire on the Sabbath, 
should be instructed before the Sabbath of all that is 
required of him, as it is improper to give these direc- 
tion on the Sabbath. 

The lawful management with respect to your tea 
or coffee, or other victuals used on the Sabbath, as 
it depends on the construction of your ovens or stoves 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 151 

and other circumstances, your presiding Rabbi must 
therefore be consulted. 



The Laws of the Feast of Passovei\ 

: im m*^ pnn na \yra wy nyiixh -n'K 

In the beginning of the night of the fourteenth 
day in ]D^ Nissan, the first month of the ecclesias- 
tical year, we are ordered to search and examine 
with a scrupulous care, by the light of a wax taper, 
for leavened bread or any fermented matter in all 
the places and rooms of our habitations, and to 
destroy it by burning in the fire, in order that neither 
leaven nor leavened bread should be found or seen 
in our habitation during the feast of Passover. 

:ih2 wn nra&rn *mtqb -iKanrratwi \wvem 

Our Divine Law doth not absolutely enjoin to 
search for the leavened bread and destroy it with 
hands : but to dispossess ourselves of it by a de- 
claration or even a fixed determination in our mind 
to make it void like the dust of the earth, and 
to render it IpSH free for any man to become the 
owner of it, according to the true sense of the word 



152 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

WQBflS in the above verse, from the WW root rQ£>, 
to make it cease to be our property by putting it 
out of our possesion. Thus, if it should be even 
found in our dwelling-places during the days of the 
feast of Passover, there would be no violation of the 
following precept — 

u There shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, 
neither shall leaven be seen with thee in all thy 
quarters; " (Ex. xiii. 7.) for the word ~\h " thine,' 
expresses absolutely — 

: onn« hw n&n nn» hm * nam nna w ^hv 

" Thy leavened bread must not be seen : but there is 
no offence in seeing the leaven or leavened bread 
the property of another." Our D^EDn sages have 
ordered to search for it, and to clear our quarters 
from it, for the preservation of our law ; for, as we 
are not separated from leavened bread during the 
whole year, if we should find it in our habitations 
on the days of Passover, we might perhaps in a 
mistake, eat it, or even if it should please our eyes 
we might recall it to our possession, and it would 
consequently become again our property, and thus 
cause us to violate the precept ""j'? f"JKT xh thy 
leavened bread shall not be seen ." The searching, 
therefore, for it carefully, and burning it before the 
the feast of Passover will prevent us from trans- 
gressing even unwillingly. 

The precept Tat Dl y»n hj} nam X 1 ? "thou 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. J 53 

shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with 
leavened bread;" (Ex. xxiii. 18.), orders that we 
must cease to eat the leavened bread, and that it 
must be out of our possession at noon of the fourteenth 
day of the month, the time when the offering of the 
paschal lamb begins; and the'precept JltMnn DV3 *ltt 
DITTOD 1KP irPn&TI " even the first day ye shall put 
away leaven out of your houses," (Ex. xii. 15.) 
likewise alludes to DDE 2TIJ} the day before the 
feast ; and the words pttftf") must be translated the 
day before, being equal to the verse D*78 JWRIH 
lhir\ " was you born before Adam ? " (Job xv. 7.) 
but our D^DDil sages, as PD a fence to the law, 
have established the time of leaving off the eating 
of VDT1 leavened bread and the burning of it, at ten 
o'clock, two hours before the time, for fear of a 
mistake in the time of the day. 

Remark, that, notwithstanding the searching for 
the pon leavened bread, and the burning of it by fire, 
we must make, at the time of burning it, the ?W3 de- 
claration, that all the leavened bread or leaven that is 
in our possession, whether we have seen it or not, 
shall be void or null, s and regarded as the dust of the 
earth. The same ^1£D*Q declaration, is made in the 
evening before the feast, after having searched for it. 

wn POKfo rpwjn tidk * rnvn -\r\xh noa a*ur 
: njneri Hin im 

All laborious or mechanical works are unlawful 
mvn ITltih noa T\JJ in the afternoon of the four- 

21 



154 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

teenth day, the time when the offering of the 
Paschal Lamb doth begin ; works wanting for the 
preparation of the feast are permitted ; but such 
that could be done in the forenoon, as the cutting of 
your hair, your beard, &c. are not lawful. All works 
which are called TlD^n ~\21 irrecoverable, are permit- 
ted ; viz. such a work begun already, and which, if 
discontinued, could not be rectified, nor the damage 
be repaired ; or a man that is in extreme want of the 
wages of his work for the feast. 

The laws of that day relating to permitted and un- 
permitted works, are just the same as on "TjnDn 7 in 
the half holidays which are between the first and the 
last days of the Feasts of Holy Convocation, of the 
Passover, and of the Tabernacles. 

rQ£0 nvtlh hrw nDD 21V- When the fourteenth 
day happens to be on the Sabbath, \?2T\ r"lp^"Q 
the searching for the leavened bread, must take place 
on Thursday evening, and the burning of it on Friday; 
but the TEn 7120^21 declaring it void, and disregarded 
as the dust of the earth, is done on the Sabbath at 
ten o'clock. 

nnnru/n na tfwfr "rtoan xh n^no te 

The precept " Ye shall eat nothing leavened ? (Ex. 
xii. 20), includes the forbidding of any food that hap- 
pened to become mixed with leaven. 

intMDD "HDK pOrr. The smallest particle of leaven 
that happened accidentally to become intermixed 
with any aliment, whether solid or liquid, even such 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 155" 

as are by nature exempted from rising or fermenta- 
tion, that particle of leaven infects the whole, 
and renders it unlawful to be used. Be, therefore, 
cautious that your spices, sugars, tea, and coffee, and 
all grocery, oil, and all liquids, are free from the least 
taste or scent of leaven ; for even any suspicion con- 
cerning the barrels, vessels, or tools used in manufac- 
turing the above, should prevent you from using 
them on Passover. 

Remember to examine your grocery, salt, &c, be- 
fore Passover, in order to see them free from any grain 
or corn. 

The crockery or earthenware used on Passover 
must be bought with some foresight ; as some of the 
dealers thereof are accustomed to lend their earthen- 
ware out for use. 

D^D r~)by%n- With respect to vessels of metal (as 
silver, gold, and copper, used the whole year), and 
which may be rendered -)££0 proper, according to 
Law, to be used in the days of Passover, I hope you will 
perceive the justice of the following observation ; 
namely, as the rendering of them ^£0 lawful to be 
used, must be performed in various manners, depend- 
ing in what way or mode they were used before, for, 
ICO^ID "p Itf^'QD according as the pores of the 
metal vessel, imbibe or draw in, in the same manner 
it must be extracted or drawn out ; and with regard to 
purifying such vessels as have spouts or tubes that 
cannot be properly cleaned, and cannot be made 



156 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 



1EO proper to be used, it would be dangerous to 
offer any instruction here, I leave you therefore to 
consult your presiding Rabbi how to act in that point 
according to law. 

Be, likewise, very cautious if you should have 
occasion before the Passover tosell'yournsn leavened 
whether stored in your warehouse or in your vessels, at 
home, or on the sea, that the contract or bill of sale and 
all other regulations be written and made according 
to the dictates of our law. Otherwise it might remain 
your property, during the Passover days ; and you 
will then violate the precept of MTQ3 K¥)D* tih 1$V 
that no leaven shall be in your possession during the 
Passover, and you will also lose your property for ever; 

for nauPD tdk nvzn yhy -nj/ty hxiw hv pnthe 

leaven that remains the property of an Israelite 
during the Passover, is interdicted, and every Israelite 
forbidden to have any concern with it, namely, 
not to sell it or have any pecuniary interest in it, nor 
even to give it as a present to be enjoyed by men or 
beasts, whence any satisfaction, gratitude, or acknow- 
ledgment might arise from it. Remember, that the 
style of that contract should be according to the cus- 
tom of the country ; and the repository of the leaven 
must also be taken into consideration as well as 
various other regulations. 

Any further instruction on that point, might be 
tedious, and might cause error; consult, therefore, 
your presiding Rabbi, and you will receive definite 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 157 



instruction according to all circumstances and 



incidents. 



: y\® dv rvhn 

The Laws of the Festivals of Holy Convocation, 

pn * 2ViD dtd pjtidk nn^n rniDKn nmhn hi 
eA nm* M2h aon t^ hzh Haw -ib>k ^» 

All manner of work which is not lawful to be 
done on the Sabbath, is likewise unlawful to be 
done on the days of our holy feasts, except the work 
of preparing our food, as the baking of our bread, 
boiling and roasting of our meat, in which is included 
the carrying of things from our houses into the public 
places, and also to light fire for the use and conven- 
ience of that day, as recorded: " No manner of work 
shall be done in them, save the preparing of that which 
every living being must eat, that only may be done of 
you." (Ex. xii. 16.) 

From the words D3 1 ? HtPJ/ 1 M2 1 ? KIP! "that only 
may be done " we learn — 

D^anca imfc^ -wsm/ ps» tew ^vbod aVi nip? 

that the preparing of the victuals is permitted, but 
not the preparing of any utensils not any thing instru- 
mental to enable him to prepare his food, which could 
have been done the day before the festival : conse- 
quently all that could not have been done the day 
before is permitted to be done on the holy feast. 



158 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

The lawful works, as well as the unlawful, are very 
numerous ; you will find them specified in the book 
called D*n rVHK Orach Haym, the path of life, in 
HID DV m^n the Laws of Festivals, or 70?? ^nmt 
*\b MDW\ " enquire of your learned, and they will 
inform you." Some of our learned are of opinion that 
such food or victuals as lose not their flavour should 
be prepared the day before the feast ; but that they 
may still be prepared on the feast-day when neglected 
the day before. 

In our Divine Law, in order to distinguish J—Qt^ 
Sabbath, and D^TIMH DV the Day of Atonement, 
from all other holy feasts in their degree of resting, 
we find that by the Sabbath and Day of Atone- 
ment, it expresseth HDK^D ^D no manner of work 
shall be done; but of our holy feasts it is written — 
WJfjh Kb i-ITDi' rOK^D h^ " No servile work shall 
be done." From the expression HTQif, servile, we 
are induced to observe that the work of our feast 
days should not be performed in so laborious a manner 
as on the working days, but should be done with 
ease, free from labour, and with some regard for the 
dignity of that day. 

From the verse h&lW V2 hti'n Hi/1 ID nttnt^mm 
"And Moses declared the feasts of the Lord unto 
the children of Israel;" (Lev. xxiii. 44.) our Tal- 
mudists infer — 

: :ra an rmbn jnnrr ^ttp htnwh tp*n rwa 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 159 

that Moses ordained that the children of Israel 
should assemble themselves on their feast days 
to be instructed and edified with a religious 
discourse of the order of the day. They also 
ordered us D3 1 ? V^m T6 Vtfil 'inp^TI to divide 
the feast day, the forenoon to be devoted to praise 
and offer thanks to God, and to deliver a solemn 
discourse to every congregation concerning the laws, 
reason, motive and design of the celebration of that 
solemn feast ; and the afternoon to pass in feasting 
and rejoicing with our families, deduced from the two 
expressions, one "T\b XT\ "it shall be a feast to the 
Lord/ 5 and the other ifr iiwyn riDIDH JJI " the 
feast of tabernacles thou shalt make to thee :" again 
"pro nnftt&H "and thou shalt rejoice with thy 
feast." The feast day was therefore divided as 
already observed. The great luminary Rabbi Moses 
Alshuch is of opinion that the answer of Moses to 
the king of Egypt bears the above sense: namely 
when the king said to Moses go and serve the Lord 
your God, but who are they that shall go ? Moses 
answered him, "we will go with our young and with 
our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with 
our flocks and with our herds we will go : Jin *0 
13^ "H for it is a feast of the Lord unto us." 

It is plain that the king wanted a security or a 
pledge of their return ; for he said, " Let the men 
go and serve the Lord, and leave their families be- 
hind ; " and at another time he agreed that the little 



160 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

ones should also go, but leave their cattle behind : 
but Moses informed him " that we can leave nothing 
behind, for as it is a feast to the Lord, all our cattle 
may be required for sacrifice, and that the feast is 
also for us to rejoice, which rejoicing cannot be 
complete without having our wives, our children, and 
all our families with us." 



Prison yny no 

To make it lawful, to prepare on the Feast- Day for the 
ruttf Sabbath. 

From the verse 1 Wl* 1WX n» 1MH1 * n2WP! DV2 PPm 
u and it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they 
shall prepare (for the Sabbath) that which they bring 
in," (Ex. xvi. 5.) we infer DV ]W * niCD DV^ \VD VlH 
ft2Ufh VSD mtO that on the sixth day which is (com- 
monly) a working day, we shall prepare for the Sab- 
bath, but that the feast-day which is likewise a day of 
rest, must not be made subservient, as to prepare on 
that day for the Sabbath: but our D'Mn sages have 
established, that we shall begin to prepare on D , "> my 
the day before the feast, for the Sabbath: thus the 
feast is not made subservient to the Sabbath, and the 
dignity of that day is preserved; and then, by pre- 
paring for the feast, the finishing of the preparation for 
the Sabbath may lawfully be done on the feast-day. 
Every master of the house is there-fore obliged, when 
the Sabbath is preceded by a feast-day, to take, on 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. . 1GL 

£D" r 3")# the day before the feast, a portion of bread 
(on the passover nyft an unleavened cake) and a por- 
tion of boiled or roast meat or fish, make a blessing, 
and declare, in the presence of his wife and his do- 
mestics, that these victuals are prepared for the Sab- 
bath, by which means the feast is not subservient to 
the Sabbath ; and it is consequently lawful to pre- 
pare on the feast-day all that is wanting for the 
Sabbath-day. This religious ceremony is therefore 
called l^ftQn 3Wif expressing a mixture of pre- 
pared victuals for the Sabbath. 

In the Law of God we are commanded JV£W1 
tHD^ l^nn D^mD^P " you shall give to the priest, of 
the first of your dough," which is called H^n WISH 
the separating of a portion of our dough, which 
portion was, in the time of our temple, given to the 
priest; but as the priest cannot, at the present time, 
be purified according to our law, that very portion 
must be burned. Remark, then, as the taking of 
H7n the above portion from the dough of your m ¥Q 
unleavened cakes, might not be very convenient, 
you are permitted to take n^n that portion from your 
m¥D unleavened cakes after they are baked ; let 
then all your cakes be joined close together under one 
cover; then make the blessing; take a portion and burn 
it ; which must be performed before CO'" 1 the feast. 

We are instructed that it is proper to abstain from 
TV)¥D unleavened cakes, three days before the feast 
of Passover, yfy nZPin mVOH» rifttt> HD in order to 

22 



i62 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

render them rare and new to our sight and palate, 
and to eat them with desire and appetite on the first 
night of Passover, when it is incumbent upon every 
Israelite to eat the unleavened bread, according to the 
precept u mV£ fiOKn 21V2 in the evening ye shall 
eat unleavened cakes"(Ex.xii. 18), in commemoration 
that the dough which our ancestors prepared for their 
journey, had no time to ferment, and was baked un- 
leavened, because of the urgency and haste of their 
departure from Egypt, being pressed and solicited by 
their masters to depart with despatch, and declaring 
vehemently that their delay would cause the death of 
them all ; for the plague raged at that time with such 
violence, that there remained no house in all Egypt, 
without feeling the effect of the plague. 

We are also strictly ordered to eat very little after 
three o'clock in the afternoon of nD5 21JJ the day be- 
fore the feast p^Ki! 1 ? HVft hsWW HD in order that 
the unleavened cake should be eaten with appetite. 

The work in Hebrew, with an English translation, 
called nD£) 7&> JVWn the narrative of the redemption 
of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, and generally 
in the possession of every Israelite, contains an ample 
instruction of all precepts, ceremonies, blessings, 
praises, and prayers, which are to be performed in that 
memorable night of our emancipation. I have, there- 
fore, only to remark, that on this night of our liberty 
and emancipation, no distinction should prevail ; and 
that the master of every house should invite to his 



THE FAITH OF ISKAtiL. 163 

table all his servants, to perform all the duties in- 
cumbent upon every Israelite in this memorable 
night. As our deliverance from Egypt is one of 
the bases of our faith and religion, that rare oppor- 
tunity should not be neglected, of exhorting all his 
family and the domestics of his house, and in- 
fusing into their minds the fear and love of God, 
and obedience to his law; according to the strict 
words in the law — 

7? r\m n? -ram nmb ainn era ^pih mim 

"And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, 
this is done because of that which the Lord did unto 
me when I came forth out of Egypt." (Ex. xiii. 8.) 
It is the duty of the father, or the master to instruct 
them himself, in that night when all these precepts and 
ceremonies are performed, or at least to cause them to 
be instructed, that this is the most remarkable night 
in holy and profane history, when the hand of the 
Lord God of Israel was seen conspicuously by all 
the children of Israel, who, being dispersed over the 
whole land of Egypt, were joined and collected in a 
short time to one place, and coalesced into one 
body for their departure, as recorded — 

: ^K DDDK ffQKI • p*\m >MD b» D3DK KBW 
" And how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought 
you unto myself" (Ex. xix. 4) ; and who, when de- 
scending with their father Jacob into Egypt to sojourn 
there during the famine, numbered in all seventy 



164 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

souls, but were increased during their abode there 
(notwithstanding the ill-treatment and persecution 
they suffered) to many millions, according to the 
declaration — 

rfm mKD twao nroo ddejhjd htnw \n wi 

44 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses 
to Succoth about six hundred thousand on foot that 
were men (from the age of twenty), beside children.'' 
(Ex. xii. 37). They now went out HU1 T3 with 
a high hand, well armed, and joined by a mixed 
multitude of proselytes of different nations, with their 
numerous herds and flocks, urged and pressed, after 
mid-night when the plague of the first-born raged 
in Egypt, to depart from the land, by the king him- 
self, his ministers, and all Egypt, crying out vehe- 
mently, " We are all dead men ! " and imploring 
them to depart, according to their own proposals, 
and soliciting their blessing. They were also well 
loaded with jewels of gold, and jewels of silver, 
and raiment, according to the order of God to Moses, 
and for the want of justice, did justice to themselves, 
and paid themselves for the hard labour forced 
upon them for such a length of time by their cruel 
masters and oppressors; according to the com- 
munication from Moses to the king of Egypt 
before-hand, "and there shall be a great cry (in the 
night when the plague of the first-born took place) 
throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 165 

none like it, nor shall be like it any more ; but 
against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog 
move his tongue against man or beast; that ye 
may know how that the Lord doth put a difference 
between the Egyptians and Israel ; and all these 
thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow 
down themselves unto me, saying, Depart with all 
the people that follow thee; and after that I will 
go out." (Exod. xi. 6, 7, 8.) 

This solemn night was appointed by the God of 
Israel for many various deliverances of his chosen 
people from their enemies by wonderful miracles ; 
as the total annihilation of the army of the king of 
Assyria before Jerusalem, and the downfall and igno- 
minious death of Haman, &c. ; and it is the opinion of 
our learned, that the redemption of this our last 
captivity, and the return to our glory will also take 
place in this month; and all this is undoubtedly 
expressed by the following verse — 

: Drrn 1 ? bmw ^n h?h omc^ * "nh n*n nh^n 

"It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord, 
for bringing them out from the land of Egypt : this 
is that night of the Lord, to be observed of all the 
children of Israel, in their generations." (Ex. xii. 42.) 
It has been remarked that the name of this month 
is expressive of its peculiar virtue ; it is called \D^ 
nissin, and as the 12 may be changed for the 2, 
(a grammatical rule) it can be rendered D^D^ nisnm, 
the month for miracles. 



166 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

: -iDij/n ittsd Fmhn 

The Precept of counting the Seven Weeks. 

We are ordered to count from the second night 
of Passover, and to continue to count every follow- 
ing night, by adding one day to the past number, 
specifying the days and the weeks till the seven 
weeks are completed ; when the JTljntyn 371 feast 
of weeks is to be celebrated, according to the 
Divine order — 

: n^nn nj^jsn mraty jnty * nsi:nn 

"And ye shall count unto you from the morrow 
after the Sabbath (the first day of the feast of Pass- 
over), from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the 
wave-offering ; seven Sabbaths shall be complete." 
(Lev. xxiii. 15.) 

If you should forget to count in the night (the be- 
ginning of the following day), you must count in the 
day-time, without !"0"D making the blessing, and 
continue to count with a blessing ; but if one com- 
plete day should be omitted from performing the 
precept of counting, the continuation of counting 
must then be performed without a nD"D blessing. 

These seven weeks should be observed in many 
cases as a time of mourning, owing to the demise of the 
great number of the disciples of K^p# *>21 Rabbi 
Angkeba, in these seven weeks. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 1G7 

: maw rro^n 

The Laws of the Feast of the Weeks. 

We are ordered to count seven weeks from the 
second day of the Feast of Passover; the day of 
nffOrin lfl)S the cutting of the new barley, to be 
offered as a wave-offering before the Lord ; and the 
day after the seven weeks, which is the sixth day of 
\VD Sivan, the third month of our eclesiastical year, 
the minnt^n Jn Feast of the Weeks is to be cele- 
brated and kept holy; the same day when the 
nt£Hn nmE new meat-offering of wheat was offered 
unto the Lord, which consisted of two wave-loaves of 
two tenth deals of fine flour, baken with leaven, which 
was also called "T\h D'HID^ the first fruits unto the 
Lord y as we find : — 

maw • hxiufr "M h& -im : imh iwd fo n nym 
omvpi ♦ nib \n: ^ ncra x^n hx iKnn "o ♦on , 7» 
: pon ^ om^p n^«"i ids dk bnaam • mnfp n** 
i:s^ na^n mnDD * tzornm^ # n "osA -iDjrn na ?pm 
♦■fan ovn dvu ■«/ itesn *^ fo-Di ^pi DnVi l^nin 
D3wn^ d^ijj npn * DD\nfo pip na DSffan is 
dvd *nn^n mnDD dd^> onnsDi JDsrra^ft to 
ddvjh mnntr mcy Tlaiinn idjj na pairan 
D^Dn naon njnapr? nivn mnDD is : nr*nn 
wnn D^nn^DD * "n^ n^nn nn:o Dninprn *dv 
pn Twvjn rho d^iw y» •dtw newi cn^ 

" And the Lord spake unto Moses saying : Speak unto 



168 TILE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be 
come into the land which I give unto you, and shall 
reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of 
the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest : and he 
shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted 
for you : on the morrow after the Sabbath (the first 
resting-day of the Feast of Passover) the priest shall 
wave it : and ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched 
corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye 
have brought an offering unto your God : it shall be a 
statute for ever throughout your generations in all 
your dwellings. And ye shall count unto you, from 
the morrow after the Sabbath ; from the day that ye 
brought the sheaf of the wave- offering, seven Sab- 
baths shall be complete : even unto the morrow after 
the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days (the 
Feast of Weeks) 5 and ye shall offer a new meat- 
offering unto the Lord. Ye shall bring out of your 
habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth deals : they 
shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven ; 
they are the first fruits unto the Lord." (Lev. xxiii. 
9—17.) 

This very day, the Feast of Weeks (the sixth day of 
the month ]VD Swan), is that most solemn and re- 
markable day when the children of Israel received 
the Decalogue on Mount Sinai, saw the Divine glory, 
and heard the voice of their God and Creator. 

Israel had been encamped from the first day of the 
third month, before Mount Sinai, where Moses com- 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 169 

municated unto them his divine message by offering 
the Divine Law for their acceptance. And afterwards 
Israel consented to accept the Law, as is expressed 
by the following words : TWfyl 71 121 1VX *?D "All 
that the Lord has spoken we will do, " which answer 
contains, besides the sense of their full obedience to 
the Divine proposals, that it is also their humble pe- 
tition UVDfo naming iPifcn to behold their king, 
to hear his words, and to be convinced irpplHIft 7J "O 
that the Eternal God is our Lawgiver. The God of 
Israel granted their request, and ordered Moses to 
sanctify the people, which did not consist only in 
their bodily purification ; but their mind was likewise 
edified and instructed by Moses in valuable lessons of 
mn^tf m.22n divine wisdom, in order to be qualified 
to become invested with the ttmpn nil Holy Spirit, 
and to be rendered sufficiently meritorious to receive 
a degree of revelation on that solemn day, by which 
the Law of God should be firmly established for ever. 
And that Moses is the faithful servant of God, and 
all his missions and communications to them are of 
Divine authority, will be witnessed and testified by 
the millions of Israelites. 

All this is most forcibly expressed by the following 
verse : — 

♦ pun aja -phx ^2 ^:n n:n * nwn bx 7? -ien^i 
stomp *p an • "pi; n:m oj?n zyn jrbttn iizpz 

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold I come unto 

23 



170 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when 
I speak with thee, and believe in thee (in thy words) 
for ever/' (Exod. xix. 9.) Which verse bears the 
following sense : — " the Lord said unto Moses, lo ! I 
come unto thee in a thick cloud (a figure of a dark 
vision), meaning, this time I do not reveal myself unto 
thee according to thy merit as usual, but according to 
the merit and capacity of the people ; that they may 
hear when I speak with thee, which will cause them 
to believe in thy Divine mission for ever." 

And so it came to pass, that, after Israel heard the 
two first commandments : *|^ ?TiT N*71 * "OJtt " I am 
the Lord, thy God," and " Thou shalt have no other 
Gods" by the voice of God, which was heard as asuper- 
naturally increasing voice of a trumpet, and not like the 
decreasing voice of an ordinary trumpet, they became 
seized with such terror, that they implored Moses — 

pyft» vny -qt hk) 4 nj/DBw vnji nr\x nm 
: mEO id 

" Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not 
God speak with us, lest we die " (Ex. xx. 19) ; which 
was accorded, and Moses spake the other eight com- 
mandments; but God assisted his voice so that it 
might be heard over the whole camp : and thus 
the two first commandments were heard direct by 
the voice of God without any medium ; but the other 
eight commandments were also heard from God by 
the medium of Moses. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 171 

All this is most clearly expressed by the follow- 
ing verse : — 

♦ -dt nwn * mo P?m *f?in nawn hp vro 
: fcipn wjp D^am 

" And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, 
and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God 
answered him by a voice.' ' The spirit of this verse 
is: when the voice of the trumpet (which was the 
voice of God, in communicating to them the two first 
commandments) sounded long, and waxed louder and 
louder, Israel became so terrified that they im- 
plored Moses, as stated above: the result was, that 
Moses spake the other eight commandments; but 
God assisted him by a voice. 

Reader, IJDIJJP! JYV&D the counting of the seven 
weeks, from the second day of the feast of Passover, 
till the Feast of the' Weeks, is a part of the law 
of purification. We find in our law, that the 
person who has been defiled, though the cause of the 
defilement is removed, can still not be regarded as 
clean ; but seven days must be counted towards the 
purification ; and after the seven days the person is 
pronounced clean; and then the final purification 
in the water takes place. Even so was Israel 
defiled by the abominations or idolatry of their 
masters, the Egyptians; and notwithstanding that 
Israel knew the God of their fathers, and did 
not intermarry with the Egyptians, yet, by the 
erroneous doctrine of regarding the host of heaven 



172 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

as mediators between God and man (as stated, p. 34. 
in the first treatise of this work), they paid homage 
and adoration to those imaginary deities. The 
Egyptians, by their imaginary astrology, worshipped 
the ram, in honor of the sign in the Zodiac in the 
figure of a ram, as we find, when the king of Egypt 
said to Moses and Aaron, " Go ye, sacrifice to your 
God in the land," Moses said, " It is not proper so to 
do: for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the 
Egyptians to the Lord our God :" — 

<: Behold, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the 
Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone 
us?" (Ex. viii. 26.) Israel, having thus been de- 
filed by their association with the idolatrous Egyp- 
tians, and having, by that intercourse, profaned the 
ineffable name of the Eternal God, called ' — w DtP 
J0"lK the name of four letters, were ordered to pre- 
pare a lamb openly on the tenth of the month p^ 
Nissin, in the presence of their cruel task-masters, 
notwithstanding the danger of exasperating them by 
the devoting to slaughter of what the Egyptians con- 
sidered a sacred animal ; and this lamb so prepared, 
being kept four days, was to be slain on the fourteenth. 
During these four days, therefore, the Israelites were 
exposed to great danger from the irritation of their 
oppressors, and, in fact, were venturing their lives in 
a peculiar manner, as they were rendered unable to 
defend themselves, had the idolators fallen upon 
them, by the illness resulting from circumcision, to 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 173 

which they had submitted, in order to be qualified to 
partake of the Pascal Lamb. 

The lamb having been slain, its blood sprinkled on 
the door posts, its flesh eaten on the night of the 
fifteenth, and its bones preserved unbroken, that its 
skeleton might at once be known as that of a lamb, 
and Israel having departed, according to the promise 
of the God of their fathers, the cause of their pollution 
Was wholly taken away, and they were ordered to 
count, from the 16th of the month, seven weeks for 
their purification from this great national defilement, 
being seven times more than the seven days which 
are necessary to be counted in the ordinary purifica- 
tion from personal pollution. The days of purifica- 
tion ended on the fifth day of \VD Sivan, and on 
the sixth they were completely purified. 

It is an established custom to pass the night 
of the Feast of the Weeks in the study of our 
holy law; and it is also customary to decorate the 
Synagogue and our dwelling-houses with spread- 
ing grass and flowers, and erecting trees in honor 
of this feast, which is also called D^TD'OH ^T\ the 
feast of the first ripe fruit. 



The Law of the Fast Days. 

As the D^mMH DV Dl¥ Fast of the Day of Atone- 
ment is peculiarly distinguished from all other fast- 
days, viz. it is the only fast-day recorded in our Sa- 



174 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

cred Law, and ordered to be kept holy as the Sabbath, 
It is also absolute, not depending upon, or originating 
from, any occurrence, as all the other fast- days ; it is 
therefore not incorporated with the other fasts, and 
a separate section will be devoted to it called — 
D*mE)*On DY* JYD^PI the Laws of the Day of Atone- 
ment. 

The fasts, generally called the DTOjn IQIN four 
fasts originating from sorrowful events, will be 
abolished at our redemption, and the restoration of 
that which we have lost; as predicted by the prophet: 

D^v^mi Dim * 'jra-in Div # rha:MC # n n£tf hd 
Xwuh rnirr rvnb y>jt ♦ v-wj/n dw • ^n^n 
: nm nhwm nmm • traib dhj/id^i * nnD&^i 

" Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the fast of the fourth 
month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the 
seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house 
of Judahjoy and gladness, and cheerful feasts : there- 
fore love the truth and peace." (Zech. viii. 19.) 

The fast of the fourth is called DEm WJJ flJDtP 
the Seventeenth Day in Thamus, the fourth month of 
our ecclesiastical year, the day when Jerusalem was 
taken by the Romans; but in the time of the first 
temple, the city of Jerusalem was broken up by the 
king of Babylon on the ninth of the same month. 

The fast of the fifth month is called 3*0 njftWl the 
ninth day in the fifth month Aab, the most lamented 
day, when the first Temple of the Lord,the king's palace, 
and all the great palaces were destroyed and burnt 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 175 

by Nebuzaradan, the servant of the king of Babylon ; 
and the second Temple was destroyed and burnt by 
the Romans nearly five hundred years after, on the 
same day of the year. 

The fast of the seventh month is called liT^HJ D1¥ 
the Fast of Gedaliah, on the third day of the seventh 
month, Tishry, the deplorable day when that just and 
pious man (Gedaliah), after having been promoted by 
the king of Babylon as lord over all the Israelites that 
were not carried away captives, with the promise of his 
gracious protection, was treacherously killed, with all 
the Israelites and Chaldeans that were with him, by 
Ishmael of the royal party ; and in consequence of 
that event, all the Israelites that were in the land fled 
into Egypt. Our Sages observe — ■ 

" The death of the righteous is to be lamented as the 
burning of the house of God." 

The fast of the tenth month is called T)2®2 TITMV 
the tenth day in the tenth month Tevath, the day 
when the king of Babylon came with his host, and en- 
camped and built forts against Jerusalem round about. 

I must not omit to remark, that the men com- 
missioned by Moses to survey and search the land of 
Canaan, returned to the camp of Israel on 282 PJtf&T) 
the ninth day of the fifth month, when they excited 
the people by their calumnious report to murmur 
and rebel ; and their perverted heart caused them 
to weep that night without cause or reason: that 



176 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

very day was therefore appointed as an act of retali- 
ation, to be a day of woe, calamity, weeping, and 
and lamentation, to their descendants, if they should 
transgress : and, agreeably to that decree, both 
Temples, — the first by the Chaldeans, and the 
second by the Romans — were destroyed and burned 
on the same day : and to that very night the pro- 
phet Jeremiah pointed, in Lam. i. 2. — 

: nWn ronn ftsa 

" She weepeth sore in that night." 

The fast 3X1 nywn of the ninth day in the fifth 
month, Aab, must be performed scrupulously, and 
with more rigid accuracy and strictness, in many 
points, than the other three specified. 

The fast of the three is kept from day-light till 
evening : but 282 DJftiWi the fast of the ninth day in 
Aab is kept yiSJD IV 2")#B from evening till evening. 

The D^3J/rWDn five afflictions observed on the 
day of atonement must also be observed on that fast- 
day, which are — 

to abstain from eating, drinking, washing, putting on 
shoes, and to be separated from all nuptial commerce. 
The fingers only are permitted to be washed, as 
requisite to the performing of prayers. That fast- 
day must also be observed as a day of sorrow and 
mourning, which is to be performed in the following 
manner : — before the beginning'of the fast in the even- 
ing, a meal called npD^DH PITJ/D consisting of some 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 177 

fruit, and bread and water, is to be served up in 
deep silence before the master of the house, and the 
men of his household, when sitting on the ground, on 
a sackcloth without shoes. 

The Lamentations of Jeremiah, and other selected 
lamentations are read in the Synagogue in that night, 
by a small wax-light in a sorrowful tone suitable to 
that occasion. The forenoon of the fast should be passed 
in all acts of mourning in the Synagogue, and at the 
same time all traffic and mechanical work is prohi- 
bited according to m^Htf the law of mourning. 
Some pious persons keep the afternoon with the same 
devotion. The ^V^M phylacteries and the httf JT-7C0 
jvy^ the shawls of the memorial fringes which are not 
used in the morning, are used at nnJDH H^SH the af- 
ternoon prayer, when the hands and face are permit- 
ted to be washed as usual. When 282 nfftttfl the fast- 
day of the month Aah happens to be on a Sunday, when 
the religious ceremony of riyi2H separating the Sab- 
bath from the working- days cannot be performed on 
Saturday-night as usual, the blessing over the light 
ti/tfH "HIKE KTQj must be made before you begin to 
read the lamentation. You must not forget pHVH^ 
pTJl nK to vindicate the justice of God by the words 
nnxn p"T "jm " Blessed is the true Judge!" before 
you begin to read the lamentations of Jeremiah. 

mp^ftl TXiy\]]D Pregnant women, and those that 
give suck, are permitted to eat on all fasts if required 
by them. But on 3*0 i"Wn the fast of the ninth 

24 



178 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

day in Aab, it is their absolute duty to fast, except 
in case of illness or necessity, and in that case the 
opinion of the physician and the presiding Rabbi should 
be consulted. Children are also not quite exempted ; 
and if they are not able to fast the whole day, they 
should fast part of the day, according to their age 
and ableness. Whoever beholds the holy Temple, 
the city of Jerusalem, or any other cities of Judah, 
in their present destructive state, must rend his 
clothes, and never sew them up properly. 

Your buildings, banquets, festivals, and all your 
rejoicings should not be complete, so as to have 
something deficient, and as a mark of our sorrow 
and mourning for our holy Temple, and the city of 
Jerusalem, and our lost glory : — 

: nnnDt&a nan • d^^it hv hmnnn io 

" For he that mourns for Jerusalem, will participate 
in her glory." 



: mum twn jtdSi 

The Laws of the Feast of the New Year, 

That solemn day, agreeably to the number of its 
virtues, bears three appellations : — the first name 
(which corresponds with the two others) is n^TlD DV 
the day of blowing the trumpet, as is recorded — 

♦ds 1 ? rvm unp xipn * uniri nn^n ^u^n anirar 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 179 

" And in the seventh month, in the first day of the 
month, ye shall have an holy convocation ; ye shall 
do no servile work ; it is a day of blowing the trum- 
pet unto you." (Num. xxix. 1.) 

The second name of that solemn day is nit^PJtfiWl 
the beginning of the first day of the year, as recorded 
in the rtiWD Mishnah : — 

: uwvh nwn wan ntwu -man 

"The first day in Tishry is the beginning of the year;" 
as received by tradition 13H TVm ITjf W2T\ n&Dti 
from Moses, our preceptor, and his sublime council. 
By that divine authority (as stated in the second 
treatise), corroborated by astronomical demonstration, 
this day was established as the day of the creation of 
the world . The above truth is forcibly intimated by 
the following communication, from God to Moses and 
Aaron: — 

: mxh Dnyo p*a \~\nx hm nwn hx ; n im 

did 1 ? *on ]w«"i * Dwrn tp*n dd^ nrn annn 

: n:u/n winh 

"And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the 
land of Egypt, saying: this month shall be unto you 
the beginning of months, it shall be the first of the 
months of the year unto you." (Exod. xii. 1, 2.) 

The Divine communication doth not express that 
this month (p^ Nissin) shall be the beginning of the 
year (as supposed by some), but the beginning of the 
months ; and it is very probable that the above Divine 
declaration is repeated for that reason : and the second 



180 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL, 

part of the verse must be considered as the explanation 
of the first part, namely ; — it shall be the first of the 
months of the year unto you, but not to the year itself. 

The peculiar expression of the word DD^ in the 
above verse : " It shall be the first of the month unto 
you," plainly indicates, that the declaration has no 
concern with the Creation, nor with the rvV2® >12U/ 
natural year, which must be common to all nations. 

All this is conclusive, that the dignity granted to 
this month (pSa Nissin) to be called the first of 
months, was in commemoration of our redemption 
from Egypt, the house of bondage ; and our exalta- 
tion to become "H H3# the servants of the Lord, and 
to be called : *VD ' EftPCD fO^DD *&fcyn hlD H^IJD 
8?FTp "A peculiar treasure, a kingdom of priests, and 
a holy nation" ; consequently, the month p^ Nissin 
must be called the first of our ecclesiastical year ; 
but the first day of the month v)£>n Tishry is the 
beginning of our JVJHCO rttttf natural or civil year. 

This day (by traditional authority) is also called — 
]HH DY 1 the day of judgment : the day which the Lord 
of Hosts has chosen to investigate the yearly actions of 
all human beings, to weigh their merits and demerits ; 
by which the fate of nations, countries, kingdoms, em- 
pires and individuals, is decided ; — as it is said — 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 181 

"And in this day, the decree is passed against pro- 
vinces and countries, — which are to suffer by the 
sword, and which are to enjoy peace ; which are to 
suffer by famine, and which are to enjoy an abun- 
dance ; and the fate of individuals is also determined." 
This truth is fully confirmed by the words of the in- 
spired psalmist, lxxxi, 3 — 4. 

hxiurh pin o * mm dy6 ndm izw imnn "urpn 
: 2py> nhi6 CDQttro • Kin 

" Blow upon the trumpet in the new moon, in the 
time appointed, on our solemn feast-day, for this is a 
statute to Israel, and a day of judgment to the God 
of Jacob." 

After the ceremony of blowing the trumpet, we 
declare the reason thereof by loudly proclaiming — 

: wnhw 7*4* hi coat^n tbjp dvh d^it mn ovn 

" This is the day of the creation of the universe, and 
consequently the anniversary day when the Almighty 
God formed this extensive empire, and established 
himself over it as a king, a father, a provider, a bene- 
factor, a preserver, a redeemer, and a judge." 

We proceed to point out another reason of our 
blowing the trumpet, by proclaiming that this is also 
a day of judgment when all mankind are summoned 
to stand for trial before God. 

The trumpet is therefore blown to give the alarm, 
and to make us awake from yearly slumber or 
lethargy, to return to our God with a full repen- 
tance of our base actions, and to reconcile ourselves 



182 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

to our merciful Father, with a contrite heart; for 
our king and father requires no more than a sincere 
confession, as we find it said — 

: a n h$ 13W.1 * Emm paojj m? 

" Take words with you and return unto the Lord." 
(Hos. xiv. 3.) We find also— 

"For I delight not in the death of the wicked, 
but that he return from his ways, and live ; and 
this particularly relates to n"")D ' i"QWn ^ rnttfj! 
D^IIMH DV *7# the ten days of repentance and peni- 
tence, from the new year unto the day of Atone- 
ment. It is so expressed by the prophet — 

uan mur * mnp irrpro imxnp/ ikvdhd "n mi 
* inarm "n hx awn ^rra^m: pa ww •idrw 

" Seek ye the Lord while he may be found ; call ye 
upon him while he is near : let the wicked forsake 
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts : and 
let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy 
upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly 
pardon." (Is. lv. 6. 7). The blowing of the trumpet 
is also to remind us to live and to act according 
to the dictates of our holy law in which the Lord 
our God condescended to deliver himself unto] us 
on mount Sinai by the sound of the trumpet, as 
recorded — 

wrt«ffl nan* n^D ♦tkd prm iVin nsnjpn hp vm 

" And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long 



THE FATTU OF ISRAEL. 183 

and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake and God 
answered him by a voice." (Ex. xix. 19.) This 
ceremony will also fill our souls with hope and 
delight in anticipation of our expected redemption, 
when we shall be fully reconciled to the Lord our 
God, and shall return to our former dignity and 
holiness ; which redemption will also be accom- 
panied by the sounding of the great trumpet, as we 
find in holy Scripture — 

on:ii*n inti • tnTi nai&a yprv mrrn ova '"th 

mh nnntMn * onvo p*a o^rmm .♦ nt^x p*a 

: d^b>tv3i ^npn im 

" And it shall come to pass in that day, that 
the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall 
come which were ready to perish in the land of 
Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of 
Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy 
mount at Jerusalem." (Is. xxvii. 13.) 

The commandment of HD1&> r»£Ppn blowing the 
trumpet on this solemn day will then remind us — 

" The Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, 
he will save us." 

It is an established custom, that in the first night 
of our new year, the master of every house should 
distribute (at table after EHTp sanctification) to 
every one of his house-hold a part of an apple 
dipped in honey accompanied by the following short 
prayer :— miCO PUW V&JJ BHnWW T^fe \^1 V* 
tta"D npmD May it be thy holy will to grant us 



184 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

a new happy year as sweet as honey. The facul- 
ties of our mind are affected by our D^lfi PTtMOT 
five senses ; and as the above short prayer is per- 
formed at table, the sweet taste of honey was 
deemed a proper stimulus to say it with devo- 
tion : the following custom must also be considered 
in the same moral sense, namely, the ceremony of 
of going, in the afternoon of the first day of the 
New Year, to the sea or river, and performing the 
following prayer — 

nm»B# *yvz b-fo -aim pi? xm ^*pDD hx *o 

: Kin ion pn "a * iss ivh pmn xh • info: 

Tufts * Dm3»b ion 3pjpv» niDK ]nn vonxcon 

"Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth ini- 
quity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant 
of his heritage : he retaineth not his anger for ever, 
because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, 
he will have compassion upon us : he will subdue our 
iniquities : and thou wilt cast all their sins into the 
depth of the sea : thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, 
and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn 
unto our fathers from the days of old." (Mich. viii. 
18, 19, 20. 

The above prayer : " And thou wilt cast all their 
sins into the depth of the sea," will probably be said 
with more devotion in sight of the sea. All our 
D^jrttD customs are founded on wisdom, and should 
therefore be strictly observed. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 185 

: onwan ov ma^n 

The Laws of the Day of Atonement. 

On the tenth day of v)t&>n Tishry, the first month of 
A. M. and the seventh of our ecclesiastical year, is 
D'HIMPT DVthe Day of Atonement, as commanded in 
our Divine Law : — 

nnn^n mn^ -niyjn yt : mD»£ n^a •?** "n nam 

ynh itok Dnanpm ♦pa , »rntfM na omjjn rna^ 
dv o * nrn ovn pv#a wi?n ^ naafo ^oi 
£a >a : Dmr^tt "n ^ * oa^y nzzh am oma^ 
nm33i * run ovn py#a niijm *^ tj&k paan 
Dvrn napta ba ntwn n^^ pa:n ^1 : ppayn 
: noy mpD *onn u/zin n» m»m * nrn ovn 
£m oavnn^ bhj* npn * wn n* 1 ? mask) 5>a 
riK omun ♦ pa 1 ? NJin |inn^ row : pavaiwa 
any is mjJD f nnjn ^nn^ njnwo Davwsa 
: pann^ inntwi 

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, verily 
on the tenth day of this month there shall be a day 
of atonement : it shall be an holy convocation unto 
you ; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer 
an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And ye 
shall do no work in that same day : for it is a day 
of atonement, to make an atonement for you before 
the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be that 
shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be 
cut off from among his people. And whatsoever 

25 



186 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the 
same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye 
shall do no manner of work : it shall be a statute for 
ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 
It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall 
afflict your souls : in the ninth day of the month at 
even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your 
Sabbath." (Lev. xxiii. 26. 32.) 

It was on the tenth day of the seventh month ^HtPfi 
Tishry, when Moses came down from the mount 
Sinai, with the second tables of stone, containing 
the Ten Commandments ; and also with the joyful 
tidings of the Divine pardon for the enormous crime 
of the golden calf; and, as a mark of their reconci- 
liation to the God of Israel, and their restoration to 
his favour, he brought with him the Divine order — 

' ' And let them make me a sanctuary (the tabernacle) 
that I may dwell among them." (Ex. xxv. 8.) As 
no account is given in Scripture, of the date of the 
going up of Moses into the mount, nor of his coming 
down at various times, and as it is left to the abilities 
of the biblical scholar to discover it, I find it, therefore, 
requisite to collect the verses relating to that account, 
in order to prove the veracity of the above date. 

On the sixth day of ]TO Swan, the third month of 
our ecclesiastical year, we received the Ten Com- 
mandments : the following day Moses went up into 
the mount, according to the order of God — 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 187 

: Drmn^ Taro ipk m»om m\nm 

" Come up to me into the mount and be there : and 
I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and com- 
mandments which I have written ; that thou may est 
teach them." (Ex. xxiv. 12.) Moses remained on 
the mount forty days and forty nights, which ended 
on DEra ■)&># njnttf the seventh day of the fourth 
month, Tamuz. 

na ^k 7j \ni *nM> D\sn-i*o dv d^t-ik vp'» ^ 
ttp ^k ti idot : rvnnn mn^ Kn»n nn^ ^ 
: on^D pas nxvin iim* -p]/ nrw *o * ntD nno -n 

"And it came to pass at the end of forty days and 
forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of 
stone, even the tables of the covenant, and the Lord 
said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from 
hence, for thy people which thou hast brought forth 
out of Egypt have corrupted themselves. (Deut. ix. 
11, 12.) And when Moses came down nigh unto the 
camp, and saw the calf, and the dancing before it, 
his anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his 
hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 

Dnacon djik * djjh hx nwn ntao • mn»B vrn 
mMK ^ik *"h Hn r6i/a .nnj/i * nbru mxvr] 

" And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses said 
unto the people, ye have sinned a great sin : and now 
I willgo up unto the Lord ; perad venture I will make 
an atonement for your sin." (Ex. xxxii. 30,) 



188 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

Moses went up accordingly on the eighteenth of 
Tamuz, the fourth, and remained again forty days 
and forty nights in constant prayer, which ended on 
the twenty-ninth of the month of Aab, the fifth, as 
recorded : — 

: ddhk Tmnh "n idk "o * ^n^wnn -WK nh^hn 

tl Thus I fell down before the Lord, forty days and 
forty nights, as I fell down at the first ; because the 
Lord had said he would destroy you." (Deut. ix. 25.) 
At the end of the second forty days and forty nights 
we find — 

nr\hn hv vn iw* on^Ti n» nn^n *—?;/ , »raro , i 
: -inn twn to d^ ^ riaijtti wo nn ^ 

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables 
of stone like unto the first : and I will write upon 
these tables the words that were on the first tables 
which thou brakest ; and be ready in the morning, 
and come up in the morning unto Mount Sinai, and 
present thyself there to me on the top of the mount.' 
(Ex. xxxiv. 1. 2.) 

According to the Divine order, Moses went up to 
receive the second tables of the testimony on 
Vl^K Win ^*n the first day of the month Elul, the 
sixth, and remained there again forty days and forty 
nights which ended on the tenth day of the month 
"HtMl Tishry, the seventh, as we find — 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 189 

dv Duma DNsaKV) BETO inn winy ojni 
: ypn^n 'n mK 

*' And I stayed in the mount, according to the first 
time, forty days and forty nights ; and the Lord hear- 
kened unto me at that time also, and the Lord would 
not destroy thee." (Deut. x, 10.) 

Our celebrated commentator i*BH Rashy, in elu- 
cidating the above verse, observes that the words 
D^WttlPI DND^D according to the first time, indicate 
that the last forty days and forty nights were in 
the favour of God again, as the first forty days and 
forty nights before the crime of the golden calf was 
committed; but the second forty days and forty nights 
were in anger of God. 

Thus, as the enormous crime of idolatry was par- 
doned, and Israel restored unto the favour of the mer- 
ciful God of Israel, and as a testimony before all nations, 
of Israel's reconciliation to their God was marked 
by the delightful Divine order, "On the tenth of the 
seventh month "Ht^n Tishry, let them make for me a 
sanctuary, and f will dwell among them." This very 
same day was therefore peculiarly established as 
a day of atonement throughout all their generations. 

The ten days DniMH ftV *!$] # H^H BW1D from 
the Feast of the New Year till the Day of Atonement, 
are called rnitPn ^ TMWH the ten days of repentance 
and penitence. Our learned have divided the days 
of judgment or justice into three classes, viz. — 



190 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

psn^ H2W\1 W8T\2 the fate of empires and individu- 
als is decreed on the feast of the New Year D1¥ DVU1 
pftnPP *ns*D hut these decrees are still suspended 
till the Day of Atonement, when it is sealed (a figure 
of being confirmed) ; yet the merciful God who de- 
lights not in the death of the ungodly, but that they 
should repent and live, has deferred the delivery of 
the fatal decrees to be executed till J121 NJJ?&HP! the 
seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is de- 
nominated rtjbMin IM the day when those fatal 
decrees are given over to be executed. 

Observe, the Omnipotent God who created time, 
cannot be in want of time; and, therefore, the appoint- 
ing of days for judgment is inconsistent with his 
Divine nature ; but all this was a kindness and a 
favour of our merciful God conferred on man to ap- 
point him a time to examine his conduct of the whole 
year, to repent of his errors and to become reconciled 
to his God. 

dt mm ♦ rrnjfoa ronnnfr mn^i h™h mvo 
DnlMh dv tod 1 ? &"p: tfnn ann^ dj ♦oma^n 
s^nh inonrrw rioniD »iw hkti * prat? j-D&n 

: d^ico 

We are ordered to feast well on the day before the 
Day of Atonement, in order to gain strength to fast ; 
also to change our dress for the best, in honour of the 
Day of Atonement and the Sabbath of rest, and to 
show our confidence in our God, who will determine 
our decree, to enjoy a happy, long life, 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 191 

* nsDO DniMn or ^ ♦vran^ mx raw mi^ 
r>y*hv is? mn ova *o •uq&up "i-ran na nrm *rjr 

For transgressions between man and man, the Day 
of Atonement itself does not atone, but the offender 
must endeavour to satisfy or reconcile the offended : 
as it is said : ct For on that day shall be made an 
atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be 
clean from all your sins before the Lord. (Lev. xvi. 
30.) The spirit of that verse is, that the virtue of the 
Day of Atonement itself, with a sincere repentance, 
will cleanse him from all transgressions relating to 
God only ; but transgressions between man and his 
fellow-creature require absolutely the reconciliation 
of the offended. 

my hj; myn -ibww * idu idvi iW omawi nv 

The fasting and resting of the Day of Atonement is 
a complete day; as it is recorded: — <c From evening 
unto evening shall ye celebrate your Sabbath ;" — 

: ra&a ied t&mpn h$ hr\n rw ^Dirfr -pin 

And he must still add from the workingday to 
the holiday, which is now' established to amount 
from an hour to an hour and a half before night. 
One of our commentators observes, as the two 
letters ]1 vau and nun, at the end of a noun, are 
diminutive letters ; as, t£^K a man, }W"X a little man; 
pT green, ppT greenish ; so are the two words j—Q£> 
the day of rest, and pfi3tP the small time of resting, 
which is added from the working day. 



192 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

-notf dv • vmw nu/nn in a* d^do dv dtc 
dv *iwmi tidk dv # iTn^miDKDv *n^o»3 
dv *nto^n ^wwa iw» dv 'hi^on n^jun tidk 
d^dh Hkt^ "aaiy dv ♦jrt^ai pm Kton nrvry 
: rvnnni nKatsn naap Dm pat? * dok^ 

The Fast of the Day of Atonement includes the fol- 
lowing five afflictions: — -to abstain from eating and 
drinking ; washing the hands, face, or any part of the 
body, except the ringers, which are permitted to be 
washed, as requisite to perform his prayers ; not to 
put on his shoes ; and to abstain from all nuptial 
commerce, for this is a day of forsaking, sin, iniquity, 
and transgression ; a day when the children of Israel 
should be like angels, free from hatred, envy, malice, 
and contention. 

■ujd DTYisrai?! ovn KDjra rvw nmnn 1 ? yiv 
: prawn ^ mum 

On the Day of Atonement every one must confess 
his sins ten times; five times in five prayers by 
himself alone, and five times with the congregation ; 
corresponding in number with the ten days of 
repentance. 

d^itd on *ih ♦*rn» dvi y> pi nm Dvvnj nn 

A girl at the age of twelve years and one day, and 
a boy at the age of thirteen years and one day, are 
bound to observe all religious duties, and they must 
fast the complete day. At the age of eleven years, 
whether male or female, they sliould be trained up to 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 193 

all religious duties ; and also to be tried if they are 
able to fast. At the age of nine or ten years they 
should fast a part of the day, according to their 
strength. 

: Dmsyon ovn nwhvm mymo np^m mmir 

Pregnant women and those who give suck are 
obliged to fast, and, in case of illness, are considered 
as all other persons. 

nwhwn *¥?-> ny?nn xh * d^ vtefaw ~yr\ •thVp 
: ma tea K*r? nn * ^w ikse 

M A woman, in the first three days of her confinement, 
must not fast at all. From three till seven days it 
depends on her own declaration if she is able to fast 
or not ; but after seven days she is considered as all 
other persons. 

: iwwh ppioy «M> na * bid cojfD omx 

When pregnant women or any other sick persons 
are ordered (to avoid danger) to eat on the Day of 
Atonement, they should take a small portion at one 
time (if it will relieve them) ; and with a certain de- 
lay between one time and the other, in order to prevent 
them from eating or drinking such a portion at one 
time, as would render a healthy person guilty of 
of JVO the cutting off of his soul from among his 
people. 

I find it requisite to elucidate, in this section, 
nVTE illWP vhv the thirteen attributes of the 

26 



194 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

Eternal God, so often repeated by the children of 
Israel on the Day of Atonement. 

Moses asked of the Eternal God: -|1UD HK Kr3&nn 
" I beseech thee, shew me thy glory ;" to which the 
answer of the Lord was: — 

: m D-ran ^kt xh *o ♦ ^a na man 1 ? h^n xh 

" Thou canst not see my face (alluding to the Essence 
of God), for there shall no man see me, and live :" — 
1KT «£ raai *nn» h» rP*m " but thou shalt see 
my back or behind me," i.e. what I am not, or 
V^II/D TV my works; "OSfl but my face, i.e. my 
Essence shall not be seen. At the same time, the fol- 
lowing Divine favour was granted to Moses : — 

oaa Ti*npi * yid Hj? tta •— 73 Tn;m •ok -iJDtm 
: zr\-\x law dk ^rifirni * jnN -ipk na vum *$*& V 

"And the Lord said, I will make all my goodness pass 
before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord 
before thee : and will be gracious to whom I will be 
gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show 
mercy." (Ex. xxxiii. 19.) 

God instructed Moses, accordingly, in the thirteen 
Attributes, accompanied with the Divine promise: — 

: fitf j an vzh nrn -nto -on ww pr Ho 

"When my children shall proclaim the following 
thirteen Divine precepts before me, with the intention 
of imitating them they shall be heard : " these attri- 
butes are specified in the following order — 

Tin • parn Dim hx * "n * "n ♦iopi yob bv "n nam 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 105 

44 And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed 
— KtDJTtP DT)p 71 the Eternal, in the attribute of 
mercy towards man before he sinneth; KiOrW "intf^ 71 
ITlttH in the attribute of mercy, after the sin has been 
committed and repented of; fo • TDn mn Kin ' bx 
* ]13m Dini in the attribute of kindness, merciful and 
gracious ; ' JTI*A THED 1^*0 * 1DK 7HKD * tfSK T™ 
POWn WiT Kft£* long-suffering, delaying the pun- 
ishment peradventure they might repent ; "ion 311 
•p ^3 mil nnh p«ty -TDn DDnV^ abundant in 
goodness to those who have not sufficient merit, and 
are in need of mercy; MWWwhyMlZWDbwh 'fiDKl 
in the attribute of truth, to reward amply those who 
do his will: D^N^ 7DH 1¥3 reserving the blessings 
due to man's virtue for thousands of generations ; 
HKCOm i7£>51 pi/ Nt£0 forgiving iniquity, transgression, 
and sin; D^ft* W»t^7 * Hp^ $h *M«£ *Hpil and 
clearing the guilty who repent, but not cleansing those 
who are impenitent ; v)2 fyn * DOn ^ XVQN pj7 "IplB 

nawo Dnmatto * tfiai ^n * D^rz> hv * p»a 
* nua^ * nnx ^npoa art 1 ? -idd^ * ditti Dn^rvos 

visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, 
and upon the children's children even unto the third 
and fourth generation — if the children should continue 
to walk in the way of their fathers, as we also find 
it expressed in another place — "to those that hate 
me. 



196 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

n^j/j n^an imh nVn: njppn jnpn? pjrna 

It is customary to blow the trumpet after the last 
prayer called n^J/3 (Nelah) to commemorate the ^3V 
Jubilee that was on the Day of Atonement, and also 
to proclaim that the feast days do now begin. 

It is also very proper to begin some work towards 
the erecting of the ppip Tabernacle m^DD nN¥b HO 
mVD ^ to go from the performing of one Divine 
precept to the other. 



: noon jrr naVn 

7%e Ztfws of the Feast of Tabernacles. 

On the fifteenth day of Tishry, the first month of 
the A. M. and the seventh of our ecclesiastical year, 
is the Feast of Tabernacles : as we find — 

* iek 1 ? hxiw ^2 hx 121 : ids'? n&n hx 'n irn 

rotffo ^ * &np kipD pawin DV3 : "n$> d^ mow 
Bvz'Th naw innpn d^ njn^ : wpn k 1 ? maj; 
♦"n 1 ? naw Dranpm 'do 1 ? mm &np xi?® wmn 
myiD n>« : wn k5> mnj; rotfta fo * sin rmjr 
"fifr new* Tipnh * &np **npo dhk ixipn ivx *"<n 
rnmty lata nara.DT nm coonm? .nnjiDin^ 
ta nntai *(Q3irm hi -ntai D^mano -atai *?n 
u/mh dv -ikw .-worn in * "n^ unn -wk dstqij 
m na unn 'pan nw2n na ddddkh ♦'jrawn 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. ] 97 

wown ovm # prow ptwin ova * d^ nj?ap "n 
naa *nn pp ns twain ova oa^ Dnnph :pna^ 
"n ^ onnDtsn • ^m ^a-im ♦ naj; jp *$n * oman 
d^ n;/a^ "n^ jn m» Drum : d^ rrya&> Da*r6a 
unn ^ac^n trrna 'Davyr^ d^j? npn # .ro»a 
frmizra mwn ^a • d^ njntanapn naoa :m« 
tfiaann maoa ^a * oaTni ijtt tf/ft'? * riaoa ia^ 
"n ^« * onvD pxD dtvik Winm b*n^ ^a na 
: fo-w \n ^ t? hjwd rw ntpo iaTi : mvAr 

" And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto 
the children of Israel, saying, the fifteenth day of this 
seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for 
seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be 
an holy convocation : ye shall do no servile work 
therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made 
by fire unto the Lord : on the eighth day shall be an 
holy convocation unto you : and ye shall offer an 
offering made by fire unto the Lord : it is a solemn 
assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. 
These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall pro- 
claim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made 
by fire unto the Lord, a burnt- offering, and a meat 
offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, every thing 
upon this day : beside the Sabbaths of the Lord, and 
beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and be- 
side all your farewell offerings, which ye give unto 
the Lord. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh 
month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, 
ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days : on 



198 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth 
day shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you on 
the first day a beautiful fruit of the tree (called in 
Hebrew jytfltf Esrog, a kind of citron), branches of 
palm trees, and branches of a thick-leaved tree, and 
willows of the brook ; and ye shall rejoice before the 
Lord your God seven days; and ye shall keep it a 
feast unto the Lord seven days in the year, it shall be a 
statute forever in your generations : ye shall celebrate 
it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths, that 
your generations may know that I made the children of 
Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of 
the land of Egypt : I am the Lord your God. And 
Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts 
of the Lord." (Lev. xxiii. 33—4.) 
We are ordered — 

•-pn 1 ?** "n ^:d r»K -p^f hi pint natsa moj/a vhw 
arm * mjfltwi arm * rrrcon jro ♦-imnaw wpni 

" Three times in a year shall all thy males appear be- 
fore the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord 
shall choose ; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in 
the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles, and 
they shall not appear before the Lord empty : every 
man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing 
of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee." — 
(Lev. xvi. 16—17.) 

The feast of the unleavened bread is called 
lyjmn ]£? the time of our liberty or emancipation ; 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 399 

the feast of weeks is called irrnin ]TM2 |D? the time 
of the receiving of our law ; and the Feast of Taber- 
nacles is called imnDt^ |D? the time of our rejoicing, 
which should not consist only in feasting, but also in 
a religious rejoicing, whereof the time of the Feast of 
Tabernacles is the most proper, being only four days 
after the Day of Atonement; wherein we are confi- 
dent that the God of Israel has pardoned all our past 
errors and transgressions, and that we are fully re- 
stored to his favor. 

The royal philosopher undoubtedly alluded to the 
Feast of Tabernacles when he said — 

-as v •*]}* mco n^n rrnari * -\nr\h nn£&a few ^ 
: yvyn na ovifetri ran 

"Go, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine 
with a merry heart: for God has already accepted 
thy works." (Ecc. ix. 7.) 

Our learned observe, that, according to the words 
of our Divine Law, that Israel shall celebrate the 
Feast of Tabernacles, and dwell seven days in booths, 
" that your generations may know that I caused Israel 
to dwell in booths when I brought them out of the 
land of Egypt; " the Feast of Tabernacles should be 
celebrated in the month ]&} (Nissan), the first month, 
the time when Israel went out of Egypt : were it not 
for the following reason : that in the month pi J 
Nissan, which answers to the month of April, the 
time of the spring, the generality of men are inclined 
to quit their houses and palaces in the cities, to enjoy 



200 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

a rural life, and dwelling in country-houses, and 
sitting in booths erected in their gardens, to inhale 
the pure and sweet air of the country. At such a 
time of the year the dwelling in booths would be a 
very indifferent commemoration, whereas in the month 
1 l£>r\ Tishry, answering to the month October, the 
end of the harvest, and the beginning of the winter 
season, when the generality of men are quitting their 
country-seats to enter into the cities ; at such a time 
the celebrating of the Feast of Tabernacles, and 
dwelling in booths is a very strong commemoration 
of Israel's dwelling in booths (alluding also to the 
TDD *03Jf having been covered with the clouds of 
glory) when they went out of the land of Egypt. 

: Divas') D"3J/ mD^T * :nn nnnv mvD uyh 

The commandment is: "To rejoice in the feast, 
and also to cause the poor and needy to rejoice" ; as 
we find — 

rftrn * "|na*o -|-ojn inm i:m nns -pro nnottn 
: ywn -jaw njJD^Km mrvm -om 

"And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou and thy 
son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy 
maid-servant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the 
fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates." 
(Deut. xvi. 14.) In this verse he is reminded by his 
God: I made thy four to rejoice, viz. thy son, thy 
daughter, thy man-servant, thy maid- servant: be not 
guilty of ingratitude, but make my four to rejoice, viz. 
the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 201 

: vrnn t*$J3 * d^ njnta> "nan roiDii 

" Ye shall dwell in booths seven days : your Taber- 
nacle shall be, during these seven days, your chief 
habitation to eat, to drink, to sleep, to study in, &c. 
&c. except when the weather proves inconvenient, and 
hinders you from D'"* finEP rejoicing in your feast : you 
may then quit the Tabernacle. 



: nrrnn n)±n 

The Laws of the Days of Dedication. 

The eight days from the twenty-fifth of V7DD the 
ninth month of our ecclesiastical year, till the second 
day of the month T\2® the tenth, were established, 
consecrated, and devoted, to offer thanks to the Om- 
nipotent God of Israel, and to commemorate the de- 
liverance of Israel from the subjection and oppression, 
tyranny and unrelenting persecution, of JV m27D the 
Greek Monarchy ; which, in the time of our second 
Temple, aimed at universal reign, and Israel be- 
came tributary to the Greeks, who, in executing the 
greatest cruelties, left nothing untried to make Israel 
violate the Sacred Law, and to cause it to fall into ob- 
livion. Thousands of the nobles of Israel, their learned, 
their priests, and their women and children, fell victims, 
and suffered martyrdom in opposing the wicked will 
of that monarchy ; till at last the merciful God heard 
the groaning of his children, Israel, and animated, by 

27 . 



202 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

the Divine Spirit, one Matthias, the son of Johanan, 
the High Priest, and his sons, and other valiant and 
pious men in Israel, to avenge themselves and attack 
(though few in number) the numerous experienced 
warriors and conquerors of the world, of whom the 
great armies of the Greeks were composed ; driving 
them to flight, and exterminating them with great 
slaughter and havock, and finally clearing the Holy 
Land of them, and becoming independent of their 
cruel masters and enemies. 

ikvd xh * n-nwnin® 1 ? i*u ♦ annb D'ntyjn won 

xh DrPT Tvrptp KrPDBH xnmz *unipr\ par 

•Dinn mo Dine *p -nMnwn hy% pmh *minco 

: nrun n» p^rrr6 

After the deliverance and riddance of their cruel 
and barbarous enemies, they came, on the twenty-fifth 
day of the month Y^M Kislev, to purify and conse- 
crate the Holy Temple ; but no oil could be found, 
to light the temple according to law, for all the 
vessels had been opened, used, and defiled by the 
hosts of Greeks who occupied the Holy Temple, and 
all places adjacent to it. 

It was likewise impracticable to manufacture holy 
oil to be used in the Holy Temple ; for most of the in- 
habitants of Jerusalem, and its neighbouring places 
were defiled by the dead bodies of the numerous 
Greeks that were slaughtered in those places, which, 
according to the law of purification, would require 
eight days before they could be called clean, and 
qualified to make and prepare t£Hlp ]DW holy oil. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 203 

Providentially, a small bottle filled with holy oil was 
found sealed up with the seal of the High Priest, 
sufficient to light the PTYUD candlestick one day ; but 
it was the will of the Almighty God to shew respect 
and care for his people Israel, and for his Holy Temple, 
and the quantity of holy oil sufficient for one day lasted 
for eight days, till they could procure clean and holy oil. 
The following ordinance was therefore established 
by the great council called ^TTrOD Sanhedrin, 
founded on the law of God, and by the Divine 
authority, under the precept — 

: hxnw \w * -\h it:p n^s inn jo -non xh 

"Thou shalt not decline from the word which they 
shall tell thee, to the right hand nor to the left/' 
(Deut. xvii. 11.) 

Tiro niMn nm pVin^ a^n hvnuro win hyi 5o 

hi p^tb> nrirnpn p nwoi * oan did-is^ * iiyq 

: yi^nh ipj.-w -or 

It is incumbent upon every master of the house to 
light up riD^n JYnj the lights of the days of dedica- 
tion in his house ; but it is still more proper, if possible, 
that even every male child who is already trained up 
and qualified to observe the law, should also light them, 
which is performed in the following manner : — begin 
the first night to light one on the right side of your can- 
dlestick; add to it, during the eight days, one every day; 
observe, that the mm blessing should be made over 
that light which is added, at the same time declaring — 

j om vnnu/nh mn vh rwi • on tamp Mn ntwi 



204 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

that these lights are holy, and it is unlawful to use 
them to any purpose of convenience C0H DID")^ K 1 ?^ 
but only to make manifest the Divine Provi- 
dence, and to offer thanksgivings and praises to the 
Holy One of Israel for the above miracle. 

These days were not established as days of rest, but 
to offer up praise, and render thanks to the Eternal 
God of Israel. They are distinguished from other 
days by adding &D2H h$ and reading whole ^7H,i e. 
the Psalms ordered to be sung on our feasts and holi- 
days. TDDm rVOJ/ra pIDKI it is forbidden to 
fast and mourn in them. 



: rhstr) didSi 



The Laws of Prayers. 

It has been observed in the introduction to the 
second part of this work, that the Laws of Prayers 
will be placed near the Laws of rD^n the days of 
dedication, in imitation of the celebrated work called 
J—fH^n nn^ *05*/ the two tables of the covenant. 

rY?sn ♦'pi *ov^n rn^an vhv hhznnh dtk n^n 
rizn tern • rp-njtf rftan *nmn nhzn *n^r\w 
nD33 wk ■npnp im * rnDnn mm rmo^ w 

: Detain onai^n Tia * mpn »nn hx 

It is incumbent upon every Israelite to offer up 
to God three times a day mmn mm ny\DW 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 205 

eighteen blessings, as established by the PD2D WM 
nhmn men of the great congregation, consisting of 
one hundred and twenty members, the most pious and 
learned in Israel. But the T3 Senate in the town cal- 
led Yabnah, found it proper to add one H3")3 blessing, 
D^^D?*! containing the prayer for the annihilation 
ofD^DIp^NT D^HEyD apostates and Epicureans. These 
prayers are rVHri£> rhtt the morning prayer, 
ilTWD Phsn the afternoon prayer, and rP3")J/ rfen 
the evening prayer, corroborated by the words of the 
inspired Monarch " njTBW WtfHB D^CH 21V in the 
evening, and in the morning, and in the afternoon 
will I pray," it is also recorded in the Talmud — 

npir * rime r^an prop * mnw nbsn tp^n divdk 
: rmy nhzn 

that Abraham established the morning prayer, Isaac 
the afternoon prayer, and Jacob the evening prayer. 

DUpH DH?an 1U3 mten, the above prayers 
were established in conformity with our daily sacrifices. 

mntr *— ?a; Ton \2ip vaa * -irwn ri^an, the 

morning prayer, to agree with the continual burnt-offer- 
ing in the morning ; hv TEfl |3np "M33 PITOE nfeft 
♦ D^3HJjn ]*2 the afternoon prayer, to agree with the 
continual burnt- offering in the evening, as it is comman- 
ded- wi2T\ nan *np33 n&yn inxn umn nx 

D^njJH p3 HW ^^n " The one lamb shalt thou 
offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou 
offer at even." (Num. xxviii. 4.) rp31tf Jlfejl 

nh^n hi r\2mn hy omai d^-uk nanpn ims 



206 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

The evening prayer is to agree with the burning of the 
limbs and the fat upon the altar, during the whole 
night; EQ'T) IMW m ^DID r^&m and the addi- 
tional prayers of the first days of the months, and of 
the Sabbaths and feasts are to agree with the addi- 
tional burnt-offerings of the day, and since we have 
lost the Temple, and the offerings have ceased, these 
prayers have been substituted instead of our offerings 
and sacrifices, agreeably to the words of the prophet— 

" Take with you words, and return to the Lord ; and 
we will substitute the prayer of our lips instead of 
calves." (Hos. xiv. 2.) 

It is improper to go to the house of any person for 
the purpose of saluting him phtt ^DnW DTlp 
JTHntP before his morning prayer; but if one has some 
business to transact at his house, or if one meet him in 
the street, he shall salute him with the words — 
"HD*? NO CD ^1D^ 5 or wish him good morning, but not 
with the word DlV# (Shalom) which is a name of God, 
and not to be spoken to any person before his devotions. 
Before his morning prayer it is also proper to avoid 
bowing or paying a compliment to any person. It is 
very proper to stand in prayer before the Omni- 
potent God, "HE ^]^p N13JD as a servant before his 
master, in a humble posture, D^D^ 1 ? 13 1 ?! 'HCDD^ Vrjf 
his eyes directed to the ground, and his heart to 
heaven. ftsTV "P 1T\M ' "OJJ^ HCDTia ]TV tihtyh let 
him, before he performs his prayers, distribute some 
charity to the poor, agreeably to the words 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 207 

*1^iT Yteh pf¥ let charity or righteousness walk be- 
fore him, 

ur\*vz pi^ * i/:rm hw d&> * -n^n own tspbo 
• iraTiro pa**! • $on ]vtn aorw * mnw m«np 
pirn • o^nta d^ rroTrm * mm * mm * mrw 

When you meet in your prayer with the ineffable 
name of God, namely, the name of four letters, 
your mind must be directed to the explanation of 
that name according to the word commonly spoken in 
place of it, which is, that he is the Lord of the universe, 
and also to the explanation according as it is written, 
which is, he is, he has been, he is, and he will be, or 
the Eternal, The name D\"J/tf God, signifies that 
he is the Omnipotent, and that all power and might 
and strength originate in God, who is the source 
of all power. 

: pnpn nnm 

As these prayers are instituted instead of the offer- 
ings, they should be performed with the same care and 
virtue as ]21p the burnt-offering itself. The prayer 
of rnttfj/ mDttf the eighteen blessings, must be pre- 
sented TDl^D standing as by the offering ; a constant 
place should be fixed where one should stand to per- 
form his prayer, as the sacrifices had their fixed 
places where they were slain, and the blood of them 
sprinkled, he should also have peculiar garments ap- 
propriated to his prayer, to agree with the miDD ^TQ 



208 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

priestly garments, and particularly that his mind 
should be filled with awe and reverence, and to 
know that he stands — 

: Kin 7m tsmpn • D'oten ^hn -\hn ^*h 

Before the king of kings, the Holy One, blessed be 
He ; and to clear his mind from all strange thoughts 
during the time of the prayer, as any strange thought 
renders the offering ?1DD defective, and is an im- 
pediment to its being accepted. 

: 3$n njTD riTim -nhzn it » mi^> tea mjfh 

And to serve him with all the heart, requires him to 
direct his prayer to God ; for prayer requires the 
attention of the heart : this service is therefore called 
rm3# labour, for it requires very great efforts to 
keep the lips and mind in unison during his prayer, 
Imitate therefore PIBtfD ^EttKI D^TDn our holy and 
pious men, who reflected TQTV 1 ^NH mDQT"D on 
the greatness of their God till their mind was filled 
with awe and reverence, and prepared to offer their 
prayer as a substitute of an offering to God in our 
Holy Temple. 



: ams rvoVn 

The Law of Purim. 

The name uD^"HD (Purim) is the plural of the word 
1*\%pur, which is lot, as Ti£) ^m " For Haman and 
his wise men cast lots to know the most proper day 
in the year, when the general massacre and total 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 209 

annihilation of the D"HliT Judeans or Jews should 
take place, which was determined to be the thirteenth 
of the month "ntf (Adar), the twelfth of our ecclesi- 
astical year ; as it was the will of God 

: nmsA nam pn -na v 

that the lot which Hainan cast turned to our advan- 
tage ; and the very same day was appointed for the 
Jews to be avenged of their enemies. In the pro- 
vinces, the Jews destroyed their enemies, by order of 
the king, on the thirteenth, and rejoiced and feasted 
on the fourteenth ; but in Shushan, the king's resi- 
dence, they destroyed their enemies on the fourteenth, 
and feasted and rejoiced on the fifteenth. The thir- 
teenth was ordered as a fast-day, to commemorate the 
HnDtt TV3Jjn fasting of Esther, and the two following 
days, the fourteenth and the fifteenth, were established 
by Mordecai and Queen Esther, and sanctioned by 
ilvMlH fiDJS ^tWN the men of the great congregation, 
to commemorate their miraculous delivery from total 
annihilation, and that they should be distinguished 
by reading the history of Esther, and be celebrated 
with feasting and rejoicing, sending portions one to 
the other, as a mark of concord and fraternity, and 
distributing amply charity and gifts to the poor and 
needy, to enable them to provide for these days, and 
to rejoice and feast as well as their rich brethren. 

tie 1 ?/-) p^eam • nVyb mpa yiwb &zm fan 
: nh^D unpo yvsv 1 ? mm 

It is incumbent upon both sexes, and even children, 

28 



210 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

to hear the reading of the H^JE history of Esther, 
even those who are constantly occupied in studying 
the law, and are therefore exempted from other 
duties, are obliged to hear the reading of the history 
of Esther ; which must be read in the night, and re- 
peated in the morning of the fourteenth ; but in 
Shushan, the kings residence, and those cities that 
have been fortified in the time of Joshua, the son of 
Nun, the reading and feasting should be on the 
fifteenth. 

: p»^ mnra myin wn by bhn nn»i» v& 

That part of the Psalms called hhn (Hallel), 
ordered to be sung by the congregation in the Syna- 
gogue, on all our festivals and holidays, are not to be 
said on that day. The reason thereof is, that lh\l 
(Hallel) begins with the words "H *72J} I^H .Tl^H 
"Praise ye the Lord; praise ye, servants of the Lord;" 
and as at that time, notwithstanding our miraculous 
escape, and the prevailing over our enemies, we re- 
mained still subjects and servants to the King of 
Persia ; therefore the reading of the history of Esther 
is instead of hh\l (Hallel), and answers the same pur- 
pose. That history must be read from a roll of parch- 
ment written with care and perfection, equal to our 
min 1W Sacred Law. The blessing before the 
reading, to the Holy One of Israel, and their Almighty 
Redeemer, is to be made by the reader, and answered 
and affirmed by the congregation with the word pK 
(amen). 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 211 

The congregation must hear the reading attentively, 
and many verses, after having been heard from the 
reader, are to be repeated by the congregation with 
shouts of joy and gratitude to God D3H D1D")S^ HT tel 
to declare and make manifest the miraculous escape 
from the intended general massacre of all the Israel- 
ites, both young and old. little ones and women, in 
one day, and the spoiling of their property; and 
praises are to be offered to the Lord God of Israel, for 
having delivered us in those days from death to life, 
from darkness to light, from grief and sorrow to joy, 
from a state of debasement and degradation to a state 
of exaltation ; as it is recorded in this history — 
D*DJ/PT te by Dnna fea *0 that all the princes and 
rulers reverenced the Jews ; for the fear of them fell 
upon all the nations, according to the words of God : 

•ok o dhk \rv-Q nznh ♦ Drnte7 dti^ji ^ 

" And yet for all that, when they be in the land of 
their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will 
I abhor them, to destroy them, and to break my 
covenant with them : for I am the Lord their God." 
(Lev. xxvi. 44.) 

We find in nh^D firDDiD the volume of Megilah, 
D^p^H hv pjPDttfD 1*7X1 m>U that on the first day 
of the month Adar, the twelfth, it was usually pro- 
claimed, that the time is near that every Israelite 
should bring to the treasurers of the Holy Temple his 



2J2 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

hptitn JI^PID the half of a hyV (Shekel) a certain 
weight of silver, in order that every Israelite should 
have his share in TEH ]21p the daily sacrifices that 
were offered in the Temple, morning and evening ; 
for with that silver were bought the daily sacrifices 
during the whole year, from the first day of JD^ Nissan 
till the next J.D\3 Nissan. 

In memorial of that, it is now customary for every 
Israelite to bring his ^pti/T] JV^nO half of a shekel, 
before the reading of the H^OO Megilah, to the 
Synagogue, where the treasurers of the synagogue 
attend to receive it. Our sages observe the great 
difference between king Solomon the wise and Ahas- 
uerus, king of Persia and Media : the first said — 

nEDra xii *nVi * ntta n** pa ipwzh u^a vnn 

"I sought in my heart to strengthen my flesh with 
wine, yet leading my heart with wisdom" (Ecc. ii. 
3): so as the wine should not strike to the heart. But 
king Ahasuerus conducted himself very differently; 
he drank till the wine struck to his heart, as a? y\tD2 
pa T^DH when the heart of the king was merry with 
wine (Est. i. 10.), which was the cause of the sor- 
rowful event of the death of the queen Vashti, and 
the great grief and sorrow of the king. Let the words 
of our sages serve you as a valuable lesson : namely, 
that whenever you rejoice and feast on D^IID Purim, 
or on any other festival, let the wine strengthen your 
flesh, but beware that it strike not to your heart ; you 
will then act according to the Divine precept OJnOtPI 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 213 

DDVWStt Hi* to keep your soul from transgression, 
and your body from illness. 



The Laws of Charity. 

The Laws of Charity are placed among the laws 
of Purim (in imitation of the celebrated work, called 
JV"Qn nm7 ^ the two tables of the covenant, as 
observed in the introduction to the second part). 

"prmn * tw TriKn ♦ ym insa pp» -p ivm o 
«h * inn'? nx pan k^> ♦ ^ in: -pn , ?N t? -ib>k 
IT natnnsn nna "o : p^nan ^hmd-it ntfjiDpn 
: ^ non^ i^k nono h * •neo'ajfn eonj/m * 1$ 
renpipitf ^n inn 1 ? uv "im n\Tp ^ id^h 
rrasn i^nan i^y njrn * nvnu/n tmv yiwn n:^ 
pna : aeon in "vn * "n *?$ yhjj xy\ ' i£ inn »ft 
inn Vm o • ^ innn inn? j/t »5n * ^ jnn 
: it vhvn tern i^e ^nn • ynhx "n -|nnn> * run 
jMn "ojk p ^1/ * pan n-ip£ p*na Hn^ xh ^ 
lavaah i^y? 1 ? itik^ ♦ it n« nnan nna • ~\nxh 

: i^-ian 

"If there be among you a poor man of one of thy 
brethren within any of thy gates, in the land which 
the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden 
thy heart, nor shut thy hand against thy poor brother ; 
but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and 
shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that 



214 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a 
thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh 
year, the year of release, is at hand ; and thine eye 
be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him 
nought, and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it 
be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and 
thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest 
unto him : because that for this thing the Lord thy 
God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all thou 
puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never 
cease out of the land : therefore I command thee, 
saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy 
brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land." 
(Deut xv. 7— 11.) 

We are instructed by the royal moralist : — 

: "n nhi rw * itwaa &m tw 

" The rich and poor meet together : the Lord is the 
maker of them all." (Prov. xxii. 2.) The spirit of 
this verse is: Let not prejudice suppose that the 
state of poverty should always be considered as a 
chastisement, and consequently an act of ]HH TMD 
retributive justice ; for "H the Lord (which ineffable 
name of God is D^nin T\1D the attribute of mercy), 
makes them both rich and poor; which may be 
compared to a wise and skilful physician, who, after 
having well examined the constitution and cause of 
illness of two patients under his care, prescribed for 
one a high and rich diet, and for the other, a low and 
poor diet, for their cure and restoration to health. 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 215 

We may yet discover in the above verse more 
valuable information. The royal moralist has placed 
before us the dangerous effects of wealth and poverty, 

kip : matt Diion *:bd paDn hx * inNo t^kp D^np 
nson ••»£ inn ^ -wjn mn # ^oid pmn urn nam 
"n ^ thdni * vrwroi i/hpk ia : ^n on 1 ? sa 

" Two things have I required of thee : deny me them 
not before I die : Remove from me vanity and lies : 
give me neither poverty nor riches ; feed me with 
food convenient for me ; Lest I be full, and deny 
thee, and say, Who is the Lord ? (the dangerous effect 
of riches) or lest I be poor and steal, and take the 
name of my God in vain." (Prov. xxx. 7 — -9.) 

The moralist has therefore likewise instructed us of 
the salutary effects of both conditions, the opulent, 
and the indigent ; and, which may also be regarded as 
a preventive and antidote to the dangerous effects of 
the two conditions, as stated in the last verse : namely, 
"1PJD3 P"H TPtf the rich and the poor meet to- 
gether," there the word 1PJS2 (meet together), is ex- 
pressive of the free access and admittance of the poor 
to the rich. The word 1P322 alludes to the circum- 
stance that the rich meets the request of the poor in 
relieving him from his distress, and accompanies that 
relief by a kind reception and consolation. 

"H till HPtf the Lord is the Maker of them all. 
The term HPtf Maker, in the English text, signifies 
also in the Hebrew text, edifier, rectifier, and im- 



\ 



216 THE FAITH OF ISilAEL. 

prover ; and the second part of the verse bears the 
following sense : that the Lord has established in 
this world the rich and the poor, in order that the 
one should be edified by the other, viz. : the poor by 
his humble condition, and the rich by acts of charity 
and benevolence : they will also be prevented from 
the above specified dangerous tendency, the poor 
having been kindly received, consoled, and relieved, 
will most probably not venture his life nor honour, 
by stealing ; and the rish, who has already made the 
acquisition of meekness, to countenance the poor, 
and to patronize him, according to the will of God, 
will surely not deny God. 

The construction of the above verses is founded on 
in the following words of our Sacred Law : — 

T7# naa n^om xh 'DDtf-ia t^p na wivpai 
4, —tfnj;r\ tjfa izroi ivphmh Tpyp coph ♦■nvp^ 
"n *ok * on** sum -uh wh * top^n xh ~\mi tonai 

"And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou 
shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither 
shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest, and 
thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou 
gather every grape of thy vineyard : thou shalt leave 
them for the poor and stranger : I am the Lord your 
God, ye shall not steal neither deal falsely, neither 
lie one to another, and ye shall not swear by my 



THE FAITH O: 



SRAEL. 217 



name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of 
thy God : I am the Lord. (Lev. xix. 9 — 12.) 

By a critical investigation of the above verses, we 
shall discover their true and genuine sense, namely, 
that it appears very strange that the first part of the 
following verses is given in the plural number, and the 
second part is given in the singular, as the verse — 
u When ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt 
not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt 
thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest;" and at the 
end of these, it is again in the plural, as : " I am the 
Lord your God:" likewise in the first part of this 
verse, it is in the plural; "ye shall not steal": and 
at the end of the same verse, it is in the singular ; 
"neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God." 
In the first verse, the proprietor of the field or the 
vineyard is reminded, that, as the poor and stranger 
are entitled to the small portion of the increase of his 
land, by the command of God, they should be regard- 
ed as partners in the reaping of his harvest; and 
this part of the verse is, therefore, placed in the plu- 
ral ; "When ye [alluding to the proprietor of the 
field, and the poor] reap the harvest of your land :'' 
he is then commanded to treat them as partners 
with the utmost respect, namely; "Thou shalt not 
wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou 
gather the gleanings of thy harvest, and thou shalt 
not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every 
grape of thy vineyard, thou shalt leave them for the 

29 



218 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

poor and stranger; I am the Lord your God." The 
end of this verse is, in the plural, expressive : 'lam 
the God of the poor as well as I am your God ; and 
it is therefore my absolute desire that you regard him 
as a proprietor, and leave the corners of the field for 
him to reap.' Be cautious, therefore, to give to the 
poor that which is allotted to him by the Law of God, 
without offending or insulting him, lest you should be 
the cause of the dangerous effects of poverty, and 
accessary to his crimes ; this is therefore given in 
the plural : " Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely ; 
neither lie one to another ; and ye shall not swear by 
my name falsely. Neither shalt thou profane the name 
of thy God," alludes to the proprietor of the land 
only, and is therefore in the singular. 

The many observations made on the treatment of 
the poor and needy, may be found in the plain and 
simple sense of the words of my first text ; and it is 
therefore needless to be repeated. 

I shall close this section with a valuable lesson to 
all men ; but most particularly to men of superior 
qualifications and easy circumstances. 

vivan nfon ^ f pxn npiw vzvn lonnwy 

: SB dkj 

" Thus saith the Lord : let not the wise man glory in 
his wisdom ; neither let the mighty man glory in his 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 219 

might : let not the rich man glory in his riches ; but 
let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he under- 
standeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which 
exerciseth loving-kindness, judgment, and righteous- 
ness in the earth : for in these things I delight, saith 
the Lord." (Jerem. ix. 23, 24.) 

Experience has taught us that men of the above 
qualifications have often proved destructive to the 
world, and at last to themselves : therefore, " let the 
wise man not glory in his wisdom, neither the mighty 
man in his might; nor the rich man in his riches, 5 ' 
'but in that which is effected by these qualifica- 
tions, which cannot be better obtained than by under- 
standing and knowing me ; and they will find, that I, 
the Lord, being omniscient, exercise loving- kindness ; 
and as omnipotent, I do justice ; and with my riches 
I exercise righteousness and charity ; for in these do 
I delight, and these qualifications were granted to 
men that they should imitate my attributes/ 



[The author has to apologise for inserting the fol- 
lowing portion of his work in this place, as it ought, 
in strict propriety, to have appeared previously, in 
page 201; but ill health, during the printing of his 
work, prevented his giving that close attention to this 
latter part which he ought to have done ; and he did 
not discover the omission till it was too late.] 



220 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

The Precept of taking four Species of Vegetable Pro- 
ductions, and rejoicing before the Lord. 

mam ♦ Tin p n& • |w*nn Dvn dd^ onnph 

>>:£ onruDan : hm unm ? nup y» ^jn " opon 

: troy fynrc synh's "n 

" And ye shall take you on the first day (of the feast) 
a beautiful fruit of the tree, and a branch of a palm- 
tree, and branches of a thick-leaved tree (a myrtle), 
and willows of the brook ; and ye shall rejoice before 
the Lord your God seven days." — (The translation of 
this verse in the English Bible is very strange.) 

The above four species are explained typically by 
the learned commentators ; but the first and plain 
reason of this precept, is, that the Feast of Tabernacles 
is also called *)*DNn 3n the Feast of the Harvest ; and 
the taking of the above four species, every one the 
best of its genus, will stimulate the rejoicing, and 
rendering thanks to God for the abundance of the 
harvest. 

The seventh day of the feast is called pim IWJJtsnn 
the day when many prayers are offered up to the 
Eternal God for the blessing of the waters ; and it is 
therefore customary for every one to take a bunch of 
willows of the brook called KJtfttnn Hoshena, agree- 
ably to the name of the prayers of this day : and a 
certain prayer is offered up m3")# t2*\2H fi#t£Q in the 
time of beatinsr off the bunch of willows; which 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 221 

beating-off should be very moderate, in regard to 
the half-holidays ; and, as this day is the PJDW1 ")E3 
last day of the pin W days of judgment, the whole 
night thereof is passed in reading m in rtlt^JD Deu- 
teronomy, Psalms, and the study of the Mishna. 

The eighth day is called mtflf KpW ^n the Feast 
of Solemn Assembly, wherein prayers are offered up, 
that the rain should be HD")2^ for a blessing and 
abundance. 

The last day of this feast is also called rmfi fiTOtP 
the Day of Rejoicing over the Sacred Law. In the 
time of our Holy Temple, it was likewise called — 
rQNWn JT2 IMlftW the rejoicing of the drawing of 
the water, according to the verse — 

: nyiwn tPjffiD ptwa d^jd DnnKBn 

" And ye shall draw water with joy from the fountains 
of salvation." The Law of God is divided into as 
many portions as there are weeks in the year, and 
every Sabbath a portion is read, and it is on the above 
day that the last portion of the Law is read ; it is, 
therefore, called min r\TV2U/ the Day of Rejoicing- 
over the Law ; and it is followed immediately by the 
reading of the first portion, to indicate that there is 
no real beginning nor end to the Divine Law ; for had 
sin not obscured the spiritual sight of man, he would 
have discovered the secret sense of the Law, which is 
but rnDtfif igflTV the combination of the sacred names 
of God m , and therefore if one letter should be omitted 
in the PI Tin HDD Divine Law, even from the sentence 



222 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

J 10B p 1&h)&h mhb nJW W?2m "And Timna 
was concubine to Eliphas, Esau's son" (Gen. iii. 
2] ), — the sacredness of that miM *")£D would, by that 
omission, become diminished and rendered ^1DD im- 
perfect and improper to be used in our Synagogue 
till it be rectified ; and although the above historical 
sentence, in its first and plain sense, might appear to 
you of no moment, yet, in the sacred sense of the Law 
of God, which entirely consists of ITlJOftf ^T)¥ a 
combination of the sacred names of the Eternal, the 
deficiency of one letter in that verse, is of the same 
importance as the omission of a letter in the Ten 
Commandments. 

In support of the above truth, that there is no real 
end to the Divine Law, I shall close this section, by 
placing before you the coherence and connection of 
the last verse in Deuteronomy with the first verse of 
Genesis. 

It is evident, that, by the wonders and miracles that 
God wrought in Egypt, his Holy Name, as the Eter- 
nal God and Creator, was known and feared through- 
out the world, as we find by the caution given to the 
King of Egypt "H $K O * jnn HKD " By that thou 
shalt know that I am the Eternal God and Creator ;" 
for the works of nature can only be changed by the 
Creator of nature : and that is forcibly expressed by 
the connection of the last verse with the first verse 
of our Holy Law : — 

pan nwj 1 ? "n whw -wk * D^naiDm nnxn hzh 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 223 

wsh wo nw n^K * ^xin *mon tevi * npmn 

ms&n n*t ovi^*na rptfma # no*wv jfctrwr^a 

: pan n*o 

" In all the signs and the wonders which the Lord 
sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and 
to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that 
mighty hand, and in all that great terror which Moses 
shewed in the sight of all Israel ; " and this proves and 
establishes that in the beginning God created the 
heaven and the earth. 

: lnoaofr Kan D^nj/n na^o naiT la ?»gpn %&*$ 

The fifth treatise on the future reward, and eternal sal- 
vation of the soul. 

Our sages, when speaking of future reward, used 
the following words : — 

: yhywh oaarw na -nmaa ^my \?nn 

" Prepare yourselves in the vestibule, that you may 
be admitted to the presence chamber." 

This life is but the threshold of eternity, which 
will be an everlasting day of joy to those who abstain 
from sin on earth : and when the soul's great faculties 
and powers shall have been cultured and exercised in 
virtue, matured by study, disciplined by care, and 
made subservient to the great design, it will be removed 
to more congenial climes . When men's capacities shall 
have received their due degree of discipline on earth 
they will then attain their ultimate perfection, and 
there enjoy the harvest of their toils, rising in glory, 



224 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

eminence, power, and prosperity, as they on earth 
excelled in virtue and wisdom. 

The instinctive propensity of the soul of man, which 
stimulates to incessant efforts for the attainment of 
complete happiness, plainly intimates that perma- 
nent felicity is essential to the perfection of a divine 
nature ; but the experience of mankind conclusively 
testifies that the ultimate happiness of a spiritual 
being is manifestly reserved for a future state of in- 
tellectual existence, and not attainable in this ter- 
restrial life. 

Vainly the human mind pursues the ardent wish, 
the propulsive desire — from the early dawn of opening 
manhood, until the declining evening of life; but una- 
vailing are all its efforts, and ineffectual all its at- 
tempts : — it grasps at substances, and infolds a 
shadow. The final felicity of an immortal being can 
only be attained in the incorporeal regions of celestial 
blessedness. No situation in society, however ele- 
vated, can induce, nor rank, however dignified, com- 
mand it: the sequestered peasant courts it in the 
retirement of his humble cottage, — the monarch sighs 
for its possession on his imperial throne. Death only 
can transmit the earth-bound spirit to its native 
heaven: then, and then only, will the unshackled 
soul realize its pious hopes, and consummate its 
ardent aspirations. 

Man shall exist hereafter: immortal is his soul: 
and this eternal truth his soul had known, though 
never priest had preached it in his ears ; nay, though 



THE FAITH OE ISRAEL. 225 

the great Creator had withheld his gracious revelation 
from mankind — that holy compact with his creature, 
man; had its inspired tongue been silent on this 
theme, and righteous Heaven concealed its blessed 
purpose, man's own internal feeling had declared the 
glorious truth coeval with his being. 

As the faculties of the soul are only perceived by 
man, through the medium of its agent the body, it 
follows that the reward of the soul and its prosperity, 
when separated from the body, cannot be compre- 
hended; and many writers have been therefore in- 
duced to represent that reward, in terms wholly 
relating to material things which are inconsistent with 
the nature of a spiritual existence. 

The spiritual reward of the soul, when separated 
from the body, is given by our sages in the following- 
few words — 

a 1 ?** .Trw aVi • n^Dx xh in ps * snn shun 
Tin prrai * D.TEwn DmrvnBjn * iraarr tfpnsn 

In the future world there is neither eating nor 
drinking, but the righteous are sitting, with crowns 
(glory) on their heads, and are gratified by the enjoy- 
ment of the lustre of the Divine Presence. 

In order to render the words of our sages fully in- 
telligible, it is requisite to place before you the fol- 
lowing observations: — 

Our Q^in senses, are five — 

* tipon &nn • win tsnn * nywu/n tann * wxnn &nn 
: unwim tsnn 

30 



226 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

I 

the sight, the hearing, the smell, the taste, and the 
toucE; three of these senses bear a spiritual sense 
as well as a corporeal one, and are therefore used to 
express the Divine actions : as, "H KTI and the Lord 
saw (a spiritual sight), "il JJDt&H and the Lord com- 
prehended, and mmn rm nx "n n-m and the 

Lord smelled the sweet savour, i. e; he was pleased to 
accept the burnt-offering of Noah, or he attracted to 
himself the sweet savour of the good action of Noah, 
and it is therefore expressed by the word HT1 and he 
smelled, which is done by attraction; but the two 
other senses, the taste, and the touch, are merely 
corporeal and animal. 

The words of our sages are now full of intelligence, 
and the reward of the immortal soul is rendered clear 
and open, that it may be comprehended by every 
capacity. 

The immortal soul is spiritual, and cannot be other- 
wise rewarded than by spiritual gratification, which 
consists in the enjoyment of the lustre of the Divine 
presence, as expressed by the words n^3C2fi1 VTD P3PJ31 
that blissful state is perfect, and cannot be disturbed 
and interrupted by the frailties of nature, for D71#n 
PPJW Xh n^K X 1 ? in \>X K3H in the future world 
there is neither eating nor drinking, nor any sensual or 
carnal sense ; that complete felicity is neither preca- 
rious nor subject to change, for <; D^5y*P D^p*H¥ 
brPHMnS DiTrmCOjn the righteous are sitting," is ex- 
pressive of being established in that prosperous 
situation for ever ; and their crowns on their heads, 



THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 227 

indicates that their glory is not precarious ; for it is 
only to be attributed to their virtuous actions which 
are the reward itself. 

Is it not rapturous happiness to know that a com- 
passionate God regards his children with parental 
care, and in his good time will recompense their faith 
and piety? Where is the soul that rejoices not in 
the thought?— An age of glory for an hour of pain! 
In this exalted Being be all our trust — on his tran- 
scendant mercy let us repose; for happy indeed is 
their portion whose hope and refuge is in Israel's God. 



The Thirteen Essentials of our Sacred Law, according 

to Maimonides, 

4 ponp avrcn * jnotwn npmm • jmnai ♦ nvn rm& om 

♦ p-rci ton W3J ten n*rajro * inbir^ *&i mzyh n*ntcn 

iwnwi xbm * o>own p mim * ono rbycb n*m ff b j-inidji 

: avion /mm * nnyoi * rayi -d^i * peri £gn*i * rmnrt 

Thou shalt, in the first place, believe that there is above all beings, 
One who is the cause of all causes, and the end of each — immu- 
table, and to whose perfections no limits can be assigned. 

Thou shalt also believe that He is not corporeal, nor his power 
like unto ours, either of such as are intermixed or unmixed with 
matter. 

He is one, not by unity of quantity : for, to his nature, in what- 
ever form it may be considered, multitude and division are alike 
impossible. 

No attribute of necessity can to him be conjoined : so as to form 
a component part of him. 

He possesses a comprehensive knowledge of all our particulars, 
and, through the attributes of justice and mercy, which are essen- 
tial to the character of a wise leader, he will recompense and chastise. 



228 THE FAITH OF ISRAEL. 

He is Eternal, and never has ceased to be so, and to him alone 
is due worship and adoration. All others have been created, and 
merit no worship. 

Human nature is, among all mutable beings the most excellent; 
but that within, which is immortal, is more noble. 

The seed of Israel are the people of the Eternal, the flock of his 
pasture, the chosen among men, and the treasure of creation. 
Therefore is the providence of God more particular, and his atten- 
tion to their actions more minute. 

Through the love which he bore towards them and their fathers, 
he caused them to inherit a Holy Law which knows no change. 

It was delivered through Moses, the prince of all pastors, the 
superior of all prophets that ever have existed. 

Moreover, he caused them to inhabit a chosen land, the source 
of all true perfection and blessings of the earth. 

They have been nurtured in certain sciences, and possessed 
purity of knowledge ; for which reason they were denominated, the 
first people in wisdom and science. 

But afterwards, their transgressions separated between them 
and God. The splendour of Providence was obscured; their land 
was desolated, their Holy Temple destroyed, and they were led away 
captive by their enemies. 

The nations in whose land they sojourned, held them in derision, 
and despised their dispersion. 

But the time will come, when all their peculiar grandeur will re- 
turn as in their first state ; when the kingdom of the house of David 
shall be re-established. Then wisdom will shoot up, their glory 
increase D^DJD D^ D^DD "H DX HPT \litn PH^Dl and the 
earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters 
cover the sea. May our eyes behold it, and our virtue accelerate it! 

The accomplishment of all temporal good, will be the resurrection 
with the same body and soul that were first united, by which will 
be made manifest the works of God, which are terrible and great. 

: pro pa d^ "h inn 

Blessed be the Lord for ever. — Amen and Ame n ! 






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